Art is Essential

Posted by Adriana Scholten on Sep 30, 2010 in Telegram Past News

Although budget cuts often threaten elective courses at school, it’s important to keep creative classes like art. Dixon High is very fortunate to have great art program, and we should know how lucky we are. We should also stand up to keep those classes offered in our school.

Art classes go beyond your regular academic courses. First Lady Michelle Obama said, “The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.”

Art teaches students skills they can’t learn from traditional math and science courses. They are encouraged to be original and expressive. They can use art to illustrate their feelings while acquiring skills needed for many professions. Tools used in art class, like drafting tables, are used for professions like architecture. Another example is the design principals that carry over for people going into graphic design or web design.

Kids who take an art class have also been shown to do better in their other courses, as well. Mrs. Larson, who teaches ceramics at Dixon High, said, “Art can actually help students with math. They use the same spatial skills and the visual aspect gives them something to reference.”

Students who take art need persistence, expression, observation skills, creativity and originality. Creating an art piece requires the use of the other side of the brain and some kids learn better that way.

“We must include the arts in the education of all students if we want our children to be prepared for the challenges of life and work in our global society. The challenges of today, and most certainly of tomorrow, require the abilities, skills, habits, and knowledge that education in the arts is uniquely able to provide,” says Kent Seidel, PhD.

One student at Dixon high, Katherine Veneracion says, “I would recommend drawing class to anyone. You surprise yourself with what you do in that class, and it’s a good way of expressing yourself.”

Mrs. Parker, the drawing and painting teacher at Dixon, added, “Art is a diversion from the memorizing and analyzing of other classes. Art opens the doors for kids to think creatively. It can be relaxing, or very challenging. The world needs people with open and creative minds; the world needs artists. ”