On Keeping Art in High School (article) by Amy Feemster on AuthorsDen

Art class in high school is a needed basic training skill. What follows is the gist of what I remember from when art was to be cut in my high school in 1983, Canyon Country, CA. The state colleges came to our school and helped us to be motivated, I've added a little of my own thoughts and this work is not yet finished. Art in High School vs. Government Budget Cuts I. What am I feeling about the government cutting art from our high school? 1. I have no voice. II. Value of art in society, a brief description 1. Fundamental developmental skill In Seward Alaska we have the infant learning program which tests motor skill in children from infancy to age three. Drawing is a fine motor skill and the usage of the hand to manipulate and control a pencil is a refined skill that of all the species inhabiting Earth only humans and monkeys can achieve. Fine motor skill manipulation is an important fundamental developmental skill that should be promoted from infancy through adult life. Drawing and coloring enable us to form characters of the alphabet and numbers in a readable format that is used as a form of communication in this day and age, needed in all facets of life. The teenage years are a time of going outside of the rules and checking boundaries while instilling your own. Creativity and its application are important for expression of the feelings that a teenager does not have the ability to express with words. These are important formative years of struggle, realization and change in perceptions and thought. To not offer a basic class for expression in the most basic form of communication is simply illogical. The artwork of any child is also a parental insight tool. You do not need to have a degree in psychology to know that something is wrong or right, with a teenager, just look at his artwork. It may be time to talk or take him to a museum and start communication on an unrelated subject. Taking Art out of high school could cause some kids to be lost without this expression device. Art is also a way of venting our feelings in a pictorial way in order for us to critically look at what is going through our mind. Once the thought is in 2D format the impact and realization of the situation come together, possibly we make a connection that wasn't there before, or the picture eases a feeling. Practicing art can also be a very good regrouping or down time activity. Listening to music is another. We gain something unexplainable from the arts, the ability to deal or cope with an overwhelming situation is one of the very basic needs art supplies. If art is a positive experience, the ramifications for the individual show direct success in him being a productive member of society. 2. Recognizing future craftsman Recognition of future artisans/craftsmen is a societal function. Schooling was incorporated to teach rudimentary skills and advance gifts inherent in the individual student that may otherwise be overlooked by the non-trained eye of the average person. This perpetuates society being able to sustain itself through individual advances in needed fields. Teachers are gifted in their fields of study and have a well-rounded higher college education enabling them to perceive the possibility of achievement in a student. They have enough knowledge about a wide range of studies to know that what they interpret as talent in the student can be trained to a specific field of study. Teachers are respected for the fact that they give useful information and their belief in a student may foster belief in the student him self. Recognition of aptitude is the first step to gaining skilled artisans/craftsmen. 3. The ability to steer talented artists into productive fields a. Draftsman b. Architects c. Engineers The next step to gaining skilled artisans/craftsmen is the ability to encourage and steer the artist into classes that will give him applicable knowledge and techniques in a subject the student is happy with in mind, body, and spirit by giving him the ability to expand on his gift. Draftsmen, architects and even engineers must learn art fundamentals before they can advance in their fields to using a computer. Once they are actively in their profession they still will pull out a pencil and paper possibly using the straight edge of a book to mark lines making a rough sketch, just to get the feel of how a job should be laid out. Having art as an elective in high school means that students who want or need to learn the basic building blocks, for a field of study or job they would like to acquire after graduation, have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and techniques they wish in a positive structured environment. They can also get a feel for whether or not this is what they want to do, during a time when room and board is supplied by the parent. This is why we have elective courses. 4. Advancement in art Advancement in art is attained by learning rudimentary skills/techniques like perspective and shading, applied with learned mechanical exercises i.e. circles, lines, dots. These are then used to form correct or interpretive art, i.e.. Drafting vs. cubism. Basically art is technology, without being able to take a rough concept through the preliminary stages to completion we would never have attained the moon in the sixties. And without competent draftsmen the rocket would have blown up on the launch pad. Computer art and design are a marked art achievement, created and defining, of the 20th century. Basic art and technology skills are what got us here, why should we change the fundamentals that have taken us to this evolutionary point? Without the basic building blocks of technology we can gain no new direction, but only build on existing technology, until someone takes away our dummy terminal, then it's back to the Stone Age. The future of advancement in all technologies depends on applied techniques of art concepts learned in school. Any future masters will hopefully be seen around the world in print shops for all to enjoy and try to decipher their statement: artistic endeavor. 5. Expansion and generational passing of cultural values Murals, paintings, and drawings with an ethnic theme incorporate old world and emerging values of the society represented, in a form of communication spanning generations and color lines. As a people we are curious to see how we, as the melting pot America is, are growing in communities and as a whole society. Everyday events and ones of historical note are shown in these art forms, which supply insight and wonder at both the impact of the event depicted and at the beauty of what we have become. Incorporating powerful combinations of line and color, and following traditional or Nuevo methods of artistry, forms the value of the art form within sects of society, re-establishing the beauty of humanity and the worth of cultural history. These pieces of art are also an informative aid helping others to understand the plight of the common man. With understanding comes a cultural unification of all peoples regardless of race, color, creed, or sex. This cultural advancement is a cornerstone to American people coming together as one people, with many voices. III. Government argument Art is an obsolete technology. 1. The computer as a tool can supply the necessary 'artistry' needed for technical drawings, measurements, and finished comprehensive product design with the push of a button, making basic art skills obsolete. 2. There is not enough money in the budget to allocate to fields of study that do not cause a marked gain in revenues as an industry for the government. Thus as in big business if a product does not show direct monetary gains through marketability then production must be cut in order for the business to operate in the black. IV. The roll of public school 1. Question: is the major roll of public school to provide direct economic growth to the government, as in big business? 2. Answer: No. School is a monetary sinkhole just like gardening, you put everything the seeds need to grow into them so you can watch them blossom. A. Flowers represent art students giving and receiving inspiration A flower goes through its normal life cycle producing seeds for the next generation, and as human beings we watch, study and enjoy each stage of the process, then gather it's seeds for next spring. The blossoms of spring exhibited in Alaska represent different things to different people, but what is the value of this inspirational phenomenon? It is priceless. B. Art provides sustenance As flower blossoms represent art appreciation and student growth, when provided with the fundamentals, so the vegetable garden represents the bounty of life sustenance that Art in school poses to a student and society. With a vegetable garden we put our back into cultivation for the harvest of life sustaining foods. Love and arduous work are given freely. Feelings are evoked in the gardener when he picks the harvest and sets the steaming plate of vegetables on the table with a flourish. These same emotions are experienced by the fledgling artist examining his technique and mastery of a newly attained skill. This skill is then practiced and applied to mastery. The fruits of his labor become a flower blossom to be coveted or shared. This sense of accomplishment can be seen by others in the artist exuded as pride. Well-being is another life sustenance an artist gains from practicing his craft. V. Life without art in school 1. Farming is gardening to a greater degree. In farming you reap the fields of grain to take them to market. Is graduation day to be the reaping of our young, simply to supply workers to pay taxes? How does a person with- out a rounded education endure the drudgery of a 40-hour a week job , he has to keep to make ends meet, that is not in a field he loves and will thrive in? With hobbies like art, music and games, all coping mechanisms, or he finds a new job. But what about the latent artist never inspired by a teacher whom directs his studies to the arts, and who has never been given the direction toward a field that applies his natural abilities to a viable work field that gives life value and provides monetary support? He is lost. 2. Is art in schools to be cut completely and become a secular science, only attainable by the rich? And are we next to cut funding for all colleges because the benefit of higher education does not fit the profit/loss quota? What is the price of one human being lost in the system, walking forever in drudgery? Society cannot afford to lose our Artisans. Each individual is creative by nature and should be allowed the freedom to express himself. Art in school is a basic creative need that should be nurtured in our students. We cannot offer hope and inspiration without art in life; why then should we cut this basic skill out of our high schools? There is no reason, the price of exclusion of art in the high school curriculum is too high to our society. People starve for more than just food. Cave paintings and communication. VI. Art history and applied human evolution and communication We can surmise that when man created fire he went from tracing the path of the sun in the dirt, to using the burnt end of a stick to make cave drawings with and then he progressed to other mediums creating cave paintings, which have withstood time. We can trace man's geographical migrations in history with carbon dating of these cave paintings, and the layman can study these and the masterpieces alike gaining clues to the time period through the 2D representation of objects. Archeologists study the objects depicted to place the evolution of technology and practices in cultures, i.e. the emergence of a pottery urn or spears and the processes the objects are involved in. Scientists study the chemical makeup of the mediums used in old artwork hoping to create an exact duplicate of the processes and paint used, like what Rembrandt used on his paintings. We cannot replicate a Rembrandt yet, but luckily someone saw some value in preserving this master's work for future generations enjoyment, study, and inspiration. We have not made any new Matisses, Rembrandts, or Picassos, but we can always hope. If these masters had not had the basic skills taught to them formally, been financially supported in their endeavors, nor had a teacher to recognize an artistic gift to be cultivated, would they have their work hanging in a museum for all to admire? Probably not. The Sistine chapel is one representation of art at it's finest. It takes the written word of the bible and, with a lot of paint and past toil of Michael Angelo, provides powerful visual and emotional impact by telling the story of creation without a word on the ceiling of an architectural amazement, inspiring millions. One college student even painted a replica in his dorm room. The college made him white wash his ceiling. People travel the globe through libraries when they can't travel in person to see the masters' works. Many buy reproductions to hang at home. Still others go to local museums to see what is new and how we are evolving in the arts. Art is also something that people discuss whether it is at an artist�s opening/showing or between students comparing styles to one another. VII. Art defined and basic application to technology. Art is a communication device predating spoken language and the written word. Communication is a basic human need within today's society. Art is a means to create and discover the beauty of the thought/image in ones mind or eye, transferred into line imagery. An artist then takes this rough sketch eyeing and figuring dimension and angle to produce an accurate 2 dimensional representation. It can then be taken from 2D representation into applied 3D modeling. Computers allow us the ability to measure and cut with precision, but we cannot take the human factor out of the equation. VIII. Skill mastery and application At the beginning of the machine age many a craftsman felt strongly about the loss of their livelihood surely, but more importantly felt the loss of their expert mastery of skill to the field they had devoted their lives to. The pre-machine age craftsman may also have believed that machines operated by unskilled button pushers was the beginning of the demise of quality goods and technical advances. The old timers, like my father, in technical fields need a wide range of technical skills and common sense for mastery of product production, and research and development. The twentieth century marks a time when the old timers are being replaced by the younger newer modern computer field expert, but there are times when only a slide rule, notebook, and pencil, to get a rough diagram with measurements, are available because the battery on the laptop died and there are no plug ins at the job site. Basic concepts, formula, figuring of dimensions and angles, and a comprehensive rough diagram are essential technical skills America needs to be internationally competitive. Granted computers ease many time consuming and intense problems, with less figuring errors, but the computer is a tool that also must have expert technicians who are skilled masters at programming. Without the programmers, skilled in the basic building blocks of creating programs including flow charts as a rough diagram, computers to the layman would be useless. So even the computer industry needs people skilled in the rough draft offered in high school art classes. In this way art in high school is supplying very basic comprehensive skills to the computer and research and development fields. IX. Art involved in big business School has the ability to give basic needed skills and allow for artistic expression. Artistic expression and advancement are an applied science in technical fields. Artistic endeavors for the singular purpose of mastery of skill to mass reproduction for money is an ever growing field, applicable in graphic arts which is used in commercial magazines and children�s' books, and is an essential market in today's economy. X. Communication in the classroom and student enrichment Art as an elective serves many roles. Presently electives are a loosely structured environment promoting a different attitude in the student one where they will try to learn because they choose to learn the subject. School also has the ability to open the communication door of a student with adults who are paid to take the time, and allow them a voice in a structured environment. Art class can be a time when communication barriers are breeched and a teenager that is spiraling out of control can be saved by a teacher. We make movies about this: how the teacher bridges the generation gap, ethnic gap, gang gap and supplies new meaning and perspective to one human being through her technical expertise, teaching, gained through the public school system. XI. In conclusion the role of art and it's future path The role of art in high school is many faceted. It is a fundamental skill used to create our future artisans, craftsmen, and technicians directly supporting economic growth in the USA through technical advances and the commercial graphics art industry. It supplies expansion of thought, which creates viable ideas, new expressive statements that enrich the cultural environment, and is a valuable communication skill. The future of our country is at stake, lets stay on the cutting edge of the world market by supporting the next and subsequent generations of our high school students. If we band together in thought and action, and fight this loss as a combined people, surely the allocation of funds for this basic need will be redirected back to keeping Art as an Elective in High School.

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