Our Purpose
What is the Purpose of Teaching Our Youth Art?
In the 21st century, our children are exposed to digital images at very young ages. The extensive media they are exposed to is full of design and graphics. Art has become a complete language that our children are encountering every day. Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information. It opens doors into a future filled with art. We can make the world a more informed and more beautiful place, one artist at a time.
Art is seen by some as a luxury, something to “fill free time.” Others see art as a skill or talent others may have, but certainly it has nothing to do with them. It is common when adults are asked about their artistic ability, for them to say, “I can’t draw a straight line.” There are a myriad of stories shared by adults that explain their disconnection with making art. As children, due to never receiving artistic instruction, they tried to draw something, but felt they failed. In those moments, a potential artist was lost. In today’s curriculum, art is considered an “elective,” an easy course to take, but not really a serious endeavor. In centuries past, the emphasis on art education was as important as any other academic subject. It was necessary for a well-rounded education.
We now know that for the brain to fully develop (and have full use of both of its sides), art facilitates a true balance. The only reason that people are not competent in the subject of art is because they have never been taught the basics of classical drawing and painting. This is a learned subject, just like mathematics or writing. There are fundamentals that can easily be taught that build ability and self.