The Arts: A gateway To Success
On many accounts, the arts stand as the cultural foundation on which many nations transcribe their histories. Whether it be found in the architectural beauty sprawled about Egyptian hieroglyphics or the polytheistic designs captured on Ancient Roman Amphoras, the use of the arts to relay stories and information to the public has been widely studied by historical scholars and artists such as Baylor University’s Heidi J Hornik, a professor in Italian art histories, and Linda Nochlin, an American historian who wrote on the role of art during the early feminist movement. The arts have found their way into other aspects of life, more specifically education.
During an interview with the New York Times,Brian Kisida, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, explained how “arts offer a critical perspective of the human condition [as] the root of education”, to imply how crucial the arts may be when involved with primary learning. Additionally, further research conducted by Brian Kisidia and his team identifies how having access to an open arts curriculum as a youth may “improve [educational] and civic engagement” throughout any child's life, giving them the skills needed to continue building relationships and academic endeavors. However, access to the arts is determined by socioeconomic factors.
Students from lower economic backgrounds already have trouble gaining access to other resources already available to children their age. As a study from the United States Department of Education finds, children from higher income families are more likely than their lower income counterparts to visit art museums, galleries and concerts, thus gaining the benefits of being introduced to the arts at young age while many are denied the experience. But this does not mean that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds cannot reap the benefits of art. As a 2012 report from the National Endowment of the Arts states, High Arts-Low SES ( socioeconomic status ) children were usually able to outperform their Low Arts-Low SES and richer classmates in graduation rates, test scores and academic achievement repeatedly when given access to arts programs like those conducted by the Kennedy Center’s CETA Program ( Changing Education Through Arts ) and AAW’s ( Art’s Academy in the Woods ) art integration models. Thus, it is crucial that policy makers and legislators put valuable time into creating bills that fund or create arts programs that not only support children from all backgrounds but encourage their participation in such activities as molding America's children through an artistic lens might lead to more successes than one.
Cited works:
Brownell, Ginanne. “The Mind-Expanding Value of Arts Education.” The New York Times, 2 May 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/arts/design/arts-education-necessary.html.
Redford, Jeremy, et al. PROJECT OFFICER. 2018.
Silverstein, Lynne B., and Sean Layne. “What Is Arts Integration?” Kennedy-Center.org, 14 Jan. 2020, www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/articles-and-how-tos/articles/collections/arts-integration-resources/what-is-arts-integration/.
