Why have Art Education?

Art education is an important aspect of the overall education of children. It makes parents more involved in their children’s schoolwork by providing an area where parents do not feel a handicapped in assisting their children because of a lack of basic knowledge. Art is a means for children who do not otherwise excel in school to have a subject where they can shine. Involvement in the arts has been shown to increase academic performance in all areas, not just art. These benefits provide the basis of why we should have art education in our schools.

Increased Parental Involvement

As a child progresses through school it is increasingly difficult for parents to be involved in helping with homework and schoolwork in general. This is because in many instances, parents lack or forget the knowledge that is required to assist their children in subjects such as math and science. Art provides a means for parents to be involved because they tend not to feel as intimidated by a lack of educational background in the subject. Art projects can be an excellent means for parent to encourage and become active in their child’s academic life.

Artwork is a tangible medium through which parents can see their child’s progress in school. As McElroy (2005) states “All parents feel tremendous pride when they attend their child's dance or choral performance, view a work of art created by their child displayed in the school or see the youngster excel at something that takes great skill.” Art exhibits at school provide an opportunity for the parents to come to the school and experience what their child is learning. This can provide a gateway for parental involvement in other areas since the parent sees what opportunities are available to them to become more active in their child’s education. Also, just being at the school creates at atmosphere for more parent-teacher interaction in all areas. This interaction allows the parent to gain more feedback on how their child is doing and what they can do to improve their children’s understanding of materials.

Art education also provides the framework for more family activities outside the classroom that build on the knowledge the child has received. In some instances “families may actually gain most of their exposure to the arts through their children's school experiences” (McElroy, 2005). By seeing their child’s artworks they can become interested in art themselves and plan family activities to art museums or galleries. These activities not only increase the whole families knowledge base, but also provide family time in an increasingly face paced world where time together becomes rarer.

After-School Programs

Programs in art for after-school are also very important, especially for children in disadvantaged areas. It is common knowledge that the hours immediately following school are often the most critical for children. With parents at work, children have around two hours of often unsupervised time. For children who are at-risk, it is important to have a place to go in these in between hours. Art programs can provide the safe environment for children to learn and still have fun until their parents come home from work. Further benefits, as stated by McElroy (2005), are “that students in all the programs - whether related to sports, academics, community, or the arts - did better in school and in their personal lives. Interestingly, students in the arts programs did the best.” This is evidence that after-school art programs are making a difference for disadvantaged students, and very often can be one of the best tools to help them excel academically in other areas.

A case study on how arts education helps the underprivileged is demonstrated by Ivanova in her work with orphaned children in Bulgaria. In 1999, she provided 60 orphaned children with two one-week workshops with professional artists. These workshops focused on art history, ceramics, painting, installation art, and fashion design. The results indicate that art helped to counteract the negative influences and experiences in their life and helped to improve their academic understandings (Ivanova, 2004). This example demonstrates the powerful impact art has on the underprivileged children in society. If results can be found with just two weeks of intensive instruction, the benefits of continued programs should be astounding.

Art Education Promotes Involvement in School

Children who are active in art education also demonstrate further interest in school as a whole. They give more attention to subjects during class time. According to Smithrim (2005), “students, teachers, parents, and administrators talked about how the arts engaged children in learning, referring to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social benefits of learning in and through the arts.” Art classes provide children with opportunities to discuss and help each other to learn how to be better artists. This peer to peer learning is very valuable since it is difficult to have direct instruction with art. Each child’s needs are different because each child’s work of art will be a personal expression of how they see an object or even the world. Students can have social benefits from art by learning to be constructive critics and helping one another to create better art.

Art encourages for self-expression. Therefore, there is not necessarily a completely right or wrong answer. This can encourage students who may have a hard time in other areas where there is only right and wrong. Art can build self-esteem and motivate children to learn. The motivation that is created in the art classroom can be carried over to other subjects. This can help children to stop blaming external, uncontrollable factors in their educational results. They will try harder to understand material and therefore do better. This can lead them to make internal and stable attributions for their success, encouraging further hard work and success.

Conclusions

Art education provides a means to many educational ends. It is a way for disadvantaged children to experience education in a positive and creative manner. It allows them to do better in other subjects as well. Parental involvement also increases when children are involved in the arts. It is a way for parents to relate to their children’s education without being intimidated by their own lack of knowledge. Also in accordance with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, it allows children who may not be the best at math or science to foster a talent. All of these things contribute to make art education an extremely valuable subject.

For further information on the benefits of arts education in general visit:
http://www.scribbleskidsart.com/generic.html?pid=162
http://www.pcah.gov/gaa/profiles.html


For information on how to make arts education a priority in your school district go to:
http://ww3.artsusa.org/services/arts_education/resource_center/resource_center_004.asp