Lecture Notes on the Importance of Art Education

Introduction

• Speaker: Artist and art education advocate
• Main concern: Lack of art teachers in elementary schools in the city.

The Importance of Creativity

• Creativity matters in personal and economic contexts.

• Statistics on Creativity:

  • George Land's creativity test for NASA showed that 98% of kindergarteners scored at genius level for divergent thinking skills.
  • At age 15, only 12% retained those skills; at age 24, it dropped to 2%.

• Economic significance of arts:

  • Arts account for 4.2% of the GDP (~$730 billion/year).
  • Creativity is essential in various fields (medicine, transportation, technology).

• Business Perspective:

  • 78% of business leaders consider creativity important for hiring.

Skills Developed Through Art Education

• High-quality art education cultivates:
  • Observation and reflection
  • Persistence
  • Risk-taking
  • Understanding of multiple solutions to problems
  • Envisioning

Personal Experience and Advocacy

• Personal story of discovering the lack of art teachers when son entered first grade.
• Initial reactions: Horror and determination to initiate change.

Research and Solutions

• Researched existing art teaching methods in schools (e.g., Art Literacy model).
• Collaborated with other artists to create curriculum materials for elementary schools.
• Implementation of three art lessons per year across three schools.

Challenges Faced

• Limited reach: Only three lessons per child in a district with 42 schools.
• Overcame discomfort in teaching art to children and raising public awareness.

Public Awareness Campaigns

• Majority of Americans support art in elementary schools (90%).
• Efforts included lobbying officials, writing opinion pieces, and community campaigns (e.g., Creativity campaign).
• Involvement in school board meetings and creative signage to promote art education.

Reframing Questions to Find Solutions

• Shifted focus from how to get art teachers back to how t