Arts Intranet

Walking down Broadway in Nashville, TN I instantly felt like I had arrived at the place I was meant to be. I could hear music pouring out of every door that I passed by, and I felt more alive than I ever had before. Within the first week of moving to Nashville I got to see Sheryl Crow at the Bluebird Café, and I knew that I had made the right choice in pursuing my dream of being a musician.

Renowned architect and Artists Committee member Frank Gehry talks about "The Simpsons," modern communication, and the difficult decision to change his name in part two of an interview with a California student.

Renowned architect and Artists Committee member Frank Gehry talks about his inspiring grandmother, Frank Lloyd Wright, and defying a professor's expectations in part one of an interview with a California student.

Everyone can make a difference; together we can make a big difference by pushing to make sure arts programs continue to be funded and offered. By finding new ways to integrate and implement arts programs, we can help kids learn in creative and different manners.

This post has nothing to do with the financial implications of music, of the arts, or of education at all, and you won’t see a single chart or dollar sign on this page. Instead, I’m going to highlight a simple economic concept that many of you may have learned at some point, and see if we can use it to open up our minds to a new wrinkle in thinking about arts education.

Fall is sneaking its way into the air slowly here in northwestern Alaska. Soon, the all-night sunshine will be but a memory, the ocean will freeze over, and my job, as an art teacher, will be even more important: we all know how a little creativity can lift the spirits and a little color can turn a dark day around.

To me, an education in the arts is about the freedom to fail and the recognition that we are all human, with human limitations and vulnerable hearts. Through this vulnerability lies connection. I continue to take larger risks in my own work—ever trying to trust that the floor will still be there after I turn myself upside-down.

The power of music cannot nor should not be underestimated. It helped my ancestors communicate through the Underground Railroad for freedom; it is a healing agent to the body, mind, and soul. The beauty of art is that it speaks to different people in different ways. Art—more specifically, music—intertwines with every part of my life.

In 2009, my family formed the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts and as Executive Director I was tasked with trying to make sure the arts were kept in schools in a meaningful way. We believe that the arts are not just fluff, but that they are critical for student development in the 21st century.

Today when I think about back-to-school time, I worry. Will the teachers be prepared to reach every student—and reach them in the poorer corners of cities as well as rural areas? Are the schools welcoming and enticing to students and parents? Will creativity be a daily activity in the lives of our country’s next generation of thinkers, leaders, and artists?

There is artistry in everything from performing with the Kansas City Youth Symphony to rebuilding a competition robot. Our school district believes the creative process will serve students well as they work to make their mark on the world, and to make a positive difference in the lives of others. 

Who would have thought that a kid from the south side of Chicago, who taught himself to sing listening to the soundtrack of “West Side Story”, (and Frank Sinatra records), would someday become known internationally as “the Shoemaker to the Stars”?

Here’s what I know for sure: if it hadn’t been for my access to excellent arts educational opportunities through Seattle Public Schools & TeenTix, my interest in business might have led me down a very different path. Instead, I chose to pursue an arts administration degree that allowed me to study at the intersection of business, public administration, and artistic practice.

One important lesson I have learned during my college career is to “learn how to learn.” To be competitive in the industry, you must take the initiative and continue to learn throughout your life. I believe arts education in school is important because in addition to teaching essential skills needed in every day life, it is the keystone in a well-rounded education.

People often assume Juilliard students could never cope with the rigors of military life, but I beg to disagree: Nothing could prepare one better than pervasive pressure to perform at a level of utter perfection, interminable personal and professional criticism, and the resultant ability to flourish in an environment where failure is simply not an option. 

As a teaching artist, I believe my role is to pass the poet’s pen as it was passed to me in the 8th grade, hoping my students will take the pen and right/write their lives.

As a professional artist, my experience with arts education might seem unique. I didn’t have the program in my school that I now have a career in. My story goes to show just how vital arts education really is.

Every day I see students succeeding from having access to dance, theater, visual and media arts and music education. They are Americans, and their right to a rich and varied curriculum should not be dependent on their zip code or their ability to pay for a private school. Arts education is enriching their lives, just as it did mine.

During our time at the Lincoln Center, the resident artists put us through our paces. The eight faculty members, including myself, were asked to sing, make music, act, and construct pieces of art. For those of us who were biologists, political scientists, philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, English professors, and historians, we had never been asked to take such actions in this way.

My own journey in dance has taught me that if you trust in your teachers, your training, your abilities, and your future, everything will come together. Keep the rhythm going!

Whether an educator, architect, doctor, volunteer, or accountant, we know the arts have had some impact on you. We know the arts develop certain skills in people that prove essential. We know that those skills lead to successes in work and life. Now is our time as a field to share these stories of impact with decision makers. 

In a recent ad campaign, Wells Fargo implied that students shouldn’t pursue a career in the arts. Americans for the Arts strongly disagrees with this statement. 

California, known for its creative economy among many other things, offers no teacher credentials in dance or theatre. California Dance Education Association has been hard at work on this issue this year, and a bill restoring these credentials is slated to be decided upon by California Gov. Jerry Brown in early September.

For the last century, modern healthcare has been tremendously beneficial to humanity, both in extending and improving quality of life. But now many physicians and hospitals across the country and around the globe are once again recognizing a significant role for the arts in healthcare.

Young(er) arts advocate, do you realize that you are powerful? Do you realize that because you took your stand with grace and strength, your community will be changed?

Teachers the world over have an opportunity to embrace the freshness—the newness—of yet another school term. It’s a time of invigoration and inspiration as students prepare to enter classrooms ready to see old friends and meet new ones. It’s in this spirit that I remind each of us of the importance of arts education, as I believe it has the opportunity to be a salve for many of our society’s wounds. 

Mesa Arts Center has just concluded its fourth year of Creative Aging programming, in partnership with several local organizations that serve seniors, people with dementia, and their caregivers. Creative Aging is a process where organizations utilize the arts to reach seniors, and employ trained teaching artists to engage them in creative activities that benefit their physical, mental, and emotional health.

Getting the word out to elected leaders about the inherent and practical value of the arts is critical. As Americans for the Arts has done for the last three political conventions, we will make the case at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia for better policy and support for the arts and arts education in America. 

With the help of local partnerships, our public school district of 72,000 students—66 percent of whom are minorities, and 62 percent of whom live in poverty—has created a number of new opportunities for students in the visual and performing arts. And our focus on arts education is paying off, resulting in higher achievement and more chances for traditionally underserved youth to shine.

From tattoos to political candidates to arts education, here are 15 things we heard from the American public in our most recent public opinion survey.