Olivia DiCampo

Jr. Writing

Peterson

October 30, 2017

One of the first things people think of when they hear the word art is old paintings in a

museum. What some dont understand is there is so much more to art then an old, crusty painting

hanging on a wall. Not only has art impacted my life but, it can also impact others by giving

students a more well rounded education. Also, the arts can impact the the community and its

economy. Finally, individuals of all kinds can benefit from art in their own personal life.

Growing up art was always important to me. Art is in my blood. One of my grandfathers

was a stain glass artist and loved watercolor painting. My other grandfather studied to be and art

teacher. Also, my uncle was an artist who did many paintings and screen prints. His work hangs

in the halls of my house and inspires me everyday. Some of the art supplies I use to this day have

been passed down to me from my grandfather and uncle. Another uncle of mine is a fine arts

dealer; He buys and sells a lot of high end art. My aunt is a public art consultant and owns her

own business. She helps artists to bring their art to life and allows the public to be able to see

these works of art that the artist have worked so hard to create. Finally, my mom who is a

photographer. As for me, I dont quite have a career in art yet, but I know I will in the near

future. Art has always been the one thing I have been most passionate about. It has gotten me

through all the years of hard schooling. School has never been easy for me. Having a learning

disability in reading and writing lead me to struggle in every subject. Art was the only class I

thrived in. Ever since pre-school, painting, drawing, and creating has been my favorite thing to
do. I didnt realize I would be going to school to peruse a carrier in art, but when I look back on

my years of education, I can see that there is nothing else I would rather do. I have had many

puzzled looks and the famous, what are you going to do with that degree? question when I tell

people I am a studio art major. I have even been told I am going to end up being a barista. Of

course these words can sometimes hurt but, knowing I most likely wont have to sit in a cubical

wearing a business casual outfit everyday already makes me happy. What these people who

criticize dont understand is how important art can be and how so many things in our day to day

life are forms of art.

Art in education began as more of an apprenticeship than a class. Students around the age

of 13 would follow a master and spend many years perfecting their craft. During the Italian

Renaissance there were more classes offered, such as drawing, painting and philosophy. Around

1821 art was placed in public education in order to help students with reading and writing, which

was to prepare them for industrial work. Since then, art in schools has become even more

popular. Unfortunately, not everyone can see the importance. One way in which art can help in

education is when it is incorporated into other subjects, like science. When studying things in

science, you are usually asked to study both qualitative and quantitative data. Knowing basic art

terminology such as line, form, color, and shape, can help create qualitative data. In fact, a study

done with a group of elementary school was done using both qualitative and quantitative data.

The students were asked to study leaves through magnifying glasses. Also, they did a project

where they placed leaves under a piece of paper and rubber over them with crayons. The drawing

of the leaves helps the students with their observational skills. Along with science, art can teach

us a lot about history and different cultural norms. For example, without the Tomb pit of emperor

Qin of the Qin dynasty in China, we would never know how important the after-life was to the
people of the Qin dynasty. Emperor Qin was berried in a tomb of 7,000 clay, life-size warrior

sculptures. Along with the 7,000 warriors, there were bronze horses. All of this was built in order

to protect the emperor in the afterlife. Not only does art in education have benefits for the

students it is profitable for the teachers too. Arts

education as an industry employed 17,900 workers whose salaries and wages totaled $5.9-

billion (Lyengar, Hudson pg.1). These teachers are just as important as kids core teachers but

dont get the credit they deserve. These teachers love what they do and know the importance art

has in a child's education. Whether a school has a lot of money to spend on art programs or a

little, it is important that art is incorporated some way or another. Kids need alternative ways of

learning because not every student learns the same way. That's why teaching kids through more

creative, hands-on projects can make a lesson more enjoyable for the kids, which will lead them

to remember the information more efficiently.

Along with education, art can be very important in communities. In an article titled How

the Arts Impact Communities: An introduction to the literature on arts impact studies, by Joshua

Guetzkow of Princeton University in 2002, the impacts of art in communities is brought forward.

He mentions, Community Arts is an art process that involves professional artists and

community members in a collaborative creative process resulting in collective experience and

public expression. It provides a way for communities to express themselves; enables artists,

through financial or other supports, to engage in creative activity with communities; and is

collaborative the creative process is equally important as the artistic outcome (6). A study in a

suburb of Australia was conducted by local members. They were given a grant to beautify their

community center. People from all over the town came together to help. Many of these people

not knowing each other until participating in this community event. The community group and
individuals coordinating the efforts learned organizing skills, learned how to navigate the

bureaucracy and built relationships with the municipal and regional government. Finally, the

people involved felt an increased sense of pride and appreciation of their town (Gustzkow 9).

Without these community art programs, the towns we live in would not be as colorful and pretty

as they are. No one wants to live in a dirty, unkempt, and unfriendly place.

Art also has economical benefits on communities. Towns and communities may have art

events that attract tourists. The tourists come to spend money on art but also may shop at the

local business'. These tourists are also spending money on hotel and transportation. "This

spending has what is called a multiplier effect to the extent that those dollars re-circulate in the

local economy as a result of spending on local goods and services by the festival and the other

business (Gustzkow 9). Everyone wants to help out the economy, the arts may not be the

biggest way to contribute, but its something.

In addition to education and community, art can have positive impacts on individual

health too. A study done with at-risk youth proves some of the impacts art can have on an

individual. There were two programs that involved juvenile offenders. On program taught

painting; the other musical theater. These programs proved to boost participant's self-esteem.

Some of these youths discovered talents they never knew they had and received positive

affirmation for it. Along with the onstage aspects of theater, some learned the more technical

aspects of producing a play. These juvenile offenders learned new skills they can use in their

future job along with how to work with others.

Perhaps you may not be the most artistic or enjoy spending an afternoon wondering the

halls of an art museum but there are other ways to appreciate it. The car you drive was designed

by an artist or maybe even a team of designers. The uniforms of your favorite baseball or hockey
team were created by someone with an art background. Even that red Starbucks cup you get

filled with your liquid energy, that you need in order to not be a zombie, was also designed by an

artist. The point is, art is everywhere whether you realize it or not. It is more important than you

think. It keeps our world colorful and creative. So, if art programs are cut from schools, students

may not get the well-rounded education they deserve. They also have a more limited chance to

express themselves and be creative. Without art in our community, neighbors may be strangers

and the towns we live in would be boring black and white communities with no personality.

Troubled youths may not find a healthy outlet without art. Most importantly, without art, many

people would not have a source of income, or at least from a source that they are passionate

about. Imagining a world without art is almost impossible to me. I also know I am not the only

one that feels that way. So, we need to keep art alive and thriving.
Jakobson, Britt. Per-Olaf, Wickman. What Difference Does Art Make in Science? A Comparative

Study of Meaning-Making at Elementary School, Vol. 46, Issue 4, p323-343,

Interchange, Novermber 2015, Sweden.

Lyenger, Sunil. Hudson, Ayanna. Who Knew? Arts Education Fuels the Economy, Chronicle of

Higher Education. Vol. 60, Issue 26, p20-20, National Endowment of the Arts, March 3rd

2014, United States.

Guetzkow, Joshua. How the Arts Impact Communities: An introduction to the literature on arts

impact studies, Taking the Measure of Culture Conference, Working Paper Series 20,

Princeton University, June 7-8, 2002, United States.