This essay was first published in the 2020 edition of Voices and uses MLA documentation.

AS A CHILD, I WOULD SEE art that mesmerized me: oil paintings of Native Americans hunting, of pioneers going across the Great Plains, and of the Biblical hero, Queen Esther. Something about these paintings made me want to be better, braver, and more noble—and that is saying a lot for a little girl whose greatest love at the time was playing in the dirt. As it turns out, I saw this art all around me because my great-great aunt, Minerva Teichert, was the artist who painted them. A daughter of immigrant parents—German Jews who had fled Germany in the 1800s—Minerva took her artistic abilities and made it into something respected, informative, moving, which helped support her large family. Minerva Teichert symbolized that one’s artistic abilities should be valued and promoted, especially as a woman in the early twentieth century.

As the world we live in enters an age of increased technology and perceived progress, we tend to see regression in art education in the public school system. An emphasis on more students focusing their education in mathematics and science, together with the ever-present budget cuts, results in many schools’ art programs being eliminated entirely. Even though numerous studies prove the incredible benefits of the arts in a student’s educational success, our current system is not reflecting that reality (Bush). If schools can emphasize the typical core curriculum that is reinforced with the influence of the arts, students across the country—and the country itself—will see immediate and long-term benefits.

One issue in determining how much focus the arts should receive is whether and how it fits into the current and future workforce and whether it helps the world deal with the present problems at hand. The world that is becoming more digital, modern, and automated every day presents us with technical problems that need technical answers. There is no doubt that society needs more engineers, scientists, and mathematicians to solve these problems accurately and quickly. These solutions, it can be argued, are not artistic matters of emotion and expression. The world needs to cure disease more than it needs to decorate walls in a stylish fashion. The world seems to believe that a social emphasis on an education in the arts simply will not provide a profitable return on its investment. On the other hand, it seems easier to understand that subsidizing the science and technology of STEM programs will not only provide a greater benefit to society, but provides a more tangible and immediate benefit to the students: these jobs are simply in greater demand and pay better, on average. This belief and this practice are not only incorrect in many ways, it is also short-sighted, as it ignores the immeasurable benefit the arts can have on people who ultimately decide not to pursue it as a career. Those who do pursue art not only can make a living—and a good one—but add enormous value to the world and the economy.

Freelance art work may not provide the financial security and stability as, for example, an electrical engineering job. But, there are many stable and profitable jobs in the world that are necessary for its smooth functioning that rely on proficiency in the arts. The available jobs for artists are countless, whether it’s in teaching, freelance work, or for big corporations. For example, in this highly digital age, it is easy for consumers, clients, and patients to be distracted. Companies of every type need highly trained graphic designers who can create a digital image for their business, ensuring that their product or service does not get lost in the white noise of the busy world. Every website, program, or app on our computers, tablets, and phones are designed by art graduates. If these products are not visually appealing and pleasing to use, they will simply disappear.

This idea that art uses is not new. For centuries, buildings are beautiful and inviting because of passionate designers working hand in hand with engineers to make our day-to-day life both functional and easy on the eyes. Anybody who has seen the 142-foot dome of the Pantheon in Rome or the of London’s Tower Bridge knows that beauty and function can go hand-in-hand (“Rome’s Pantheon”). In today’s world where individuality and expression are so important, we can express ourselves daily through clothing practically—and sometimes literally—picked for us by clothing designers. These clothes are designed for looks, function, comfort, and use. Our homes feel like home, a place of safety and refuge, because of cozy rugs and paintings and photographs meticulously worked on by artists. Your favorite mug, your (current) style of haircut, your favorite song—these are all things that artists have poured their souls into perfecting so that they could make your life better and happier. These benefits may seem trivial to some. But they provide a vibrancy to life that–if left to its own devices—could become mechanical and dull. The focus of STEM is on necessary and noble pursuits, but it is the creativity and beauty that artists provide that make those pursuits an enjoyable thing to do. If anything, I believe that those taught to embrace their creativity are better workers and problem-solvers, which makes them better job candidates.

The assumption that those proficient in art can’t solve modern-day problems is false. Fran Smith explains, “Years of research show that [art is] closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity” (Smith). I believe that the core issue surrounding disdain towards art is the simple fact that we have been engineered as a society to underappreciate and undervalue art. This leads to biased opinions and stigmas surrounding the art community. Perhaps the reason that there are not as many career paths for artists is that the arts are not appreciated as they should be.

A very prevalent example of how art is not being given the recognition it deserves is manifest in the way many schools handle budget cuts. From 2008 to 2016, 80% of schools around the nation were subject to some form of budget cuts (McDonald). The economic realities of less money and more students puts very difficult decisions into the hands of individual school districts and results in some very shocking statistics. In 2009, “only 3% of schools allocated funds for dance, and only 4% offered theatre” (McDonald). Fortunately, this drastic change hardly applied to the music and visual art programs, which remained in the 85% to 95% range (McDonald). The introduction of the Common Core Standards Act in 2010 (“Common Core State Standards Initiative”) pushed schools to emphasize math and science programs with the hope that it would ultimately help students have a better chance of success in college. It was assumed that funneling more money towards these core classes would improve test scores more efficiently than providing materials and resources for classes in the arts.

However, studies have shown that art classes improve students’ skills beyond the studio. Jen McDonald explains, “[S]tudents that took four years of art classes scored… 91 points higher on their SAT tests” (McDonald). Though this correlation does not necessarily mean causation, it seems to be more than coincidence. Studying the arts may not necessarily make a student smarter, but it can teach problem solving skills, motivate them to try hard in school, require self-discipline and focus, and stimulate areas of the brain that are not touched by typical academic studies.

A study done in 12 schools on the East Coast in 1999 shows that not only did students involved in the arts receive higher test scores, their quality of schooling, and that of their teachers, was a much more positive experience (“10 Studies on the Importance of Art in Education”). Teachers reported that their students were more cooperative and had a much happier classroom experience. Another study done in 2019 by Brian Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen, professors at the University of Missouri and the Texas A&M University, respectively, found that schools with higher involvement in the arts had to take less disciplinary action with students, had improved standardized test scores, and had students who expressed more compassion towards their fellow classmates on a daily basis (Kisida and Bowen).

Additionally, Johns Hopkins researchers found that participation in the arts, and specifically music, can essentially rewire the brain in a beneficial way. Those students who spent their four years of high school being trained regularly in music “were found to have changes in their brain structures helping them transfer their motor skills to similar areas” (“10 Studies on the Importance of Art in Education”). In the same study, students that focused on a specific art form throughout schooling had increased attention throughout all classes and had improved IQ scores (“10 Studies on the Importance of Art in Education”). These studies show that the correlation may be closer to causation; the arts can have a positive effect on the development of a student in that student’s social and academic life.

The problem-solving skills learned in art and music classes, while their value may not be monetary, are still in primary and secondary schooling. In my personal experience, participation in these classes had a great benefit to me. Inspired in part by my aunt Minerva’s life and art, I took art classes every time I had space in my schedule. I was inspired by music and have played the cello and piano since I was nine-years-old. These classes and activities were a respite from the daily stresses of school and life and gave me time to decompress and work a different side of my brain. They gave me opportunities to serve, creating artwork or music for the less fortunate or homebound. They gave a richness to my life that I would not have found if I only studied math and science.

Often in sports, athletes do cross-training. Football players take dance classes and runners swim laps. While those activities don’t obviously correspond with their designated sport, they work different parts of the brain and body that will ultimately help those athletes in a competition.

The same applies to schooling. While in orchestra class, even though I wasn’t doing algebra, I was constantly counting beats and subdividing measures into multiple fractions. I found that my music was mathematical as the whole steps and half steps of my scales corresponded to ratios and harmonic frequencies that are studied in physics. In many ways, math was musical, and music was mathematical. Because of my unique and creative way of dealing with questions, I earned sufficient scores to receive a full-ride academic scholarship to my first choice of college. I believe—and I say this with the strongest conviction—that I did well academically because I was involved in the arts.

Just like me, there are many students out there who have a stronger tendency towards skills associated with the right hemisphere of their brain. The fact of the matter is, nearly a third of the United States population is right-brained (Hidvegi). We have two hemispheres in our brains, a right and a left. The left side is the side that is analytical, logical, and has very linear thinking. The right side of our brain, an entire half of our brain, is imaginative, holistic thinking, and encapsulated in one word. Can you guess it? Art! Art is so important to humanity that half of our whole intellectual engine—that thing that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom—is devoted to it. Creativity is an innate quality found within humans. Kisida and Bowen explained in their 2019 study that “[a]lmost as soon as motor skills are developed, children communicate through artistic expression. The arts challenge us with different points of view, compel us to empathize with “others, and give us the opportunity to reflect on the human condition” (Kisida and Bowen). From the time a child can pick up a crayon they want to create art. From the moment that they first hear a piano, all they want to do it bang on it and make music. Art is an intuitive, natural tendency for humankind, and schools who prioritize it have shown the benefits it has on students. While math and science are important, art has been proven to be a key to a student’s success. Genius fictional teacher John Keating, created by screenwriter Tom Schulman in his semi-autobiographical screenplay, Dead Poets Society, shares a thought that when schools keep the arts in mind, they are rewarded with positive results: “[M]edicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for” (Schulman). While math and science are important, students need drive, something to inspire, something to live for. That is what art gives them.

We could survive without all what are sometimes offensively deemed as the “fruity, creative” (Gregory et al.) art classes, such as painting and film. But it is the lessons of problem-solving, awareness, and creativity that we could potentially learn from those classes that are important. We need to make a transition in schooling to incorporate art, or in other words, creativity. Realistically, with budget cuts, it is difficult to keep everything we want afloat, but art is one thing that can be applied everywhere without necessarily needing a class. Instead of painting stills of fruit all day, students can come together to paint a mural depicting and advocating for unity and tolerance in the community. Instead of having music programs having performances solely for parents, they could hold a fundraiser concert for the local food bank or play at an assisted living center. So, while we may be forced to take funds away from art, we should divert those funds towards other creative areas. The education system must value creativity in schooling. This could definitely be changed to better fit the needs of the world, however. Art education can make a shift from individual expression to societal application. If the arts and STEM can come together, we could build the ultimate education system and create a dynamic model of success based on hard science and the creativity that gives that science meaning and application.

Pablo Picasso once said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” This “problem” could easily be fixed. It’s not going to happen all at once, but it can happen if schools will simply bring creativity back to the table, little by little. I have managed to preserve the artist within me, and the benefits have been innumerable. If schools will do this, students will become more passionate, harder workers, and ultimately build up a world that is worth living in. 

Works Cited

“10 Studies on the Importance of Art in Education.” OnlineColleges.net, 11 Feb. 2019, https://www.onlinecolleges.net/10-salient-studies-on-the-arts-in-education/.

Bush, Columba. “Why the Arts.” Arts for Life! https://artsforlifeaward.org/why-the-arts/.

“Common Core State Standards Initiative.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Dec. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Core_State_Standards_Initiative

Gregory, Danny, et al. “Let’s Get Rid of Art Education in Schools.” Kappanonline.org, 26 Aug. 2018, https://www.kappanonline.org/gregory-lets-get-rid-art-education-schools/

Hidvegi, Tom J. “Are You Right-Brained or Left-Brained? Do Americans and Germans Think Differently?” HuffPost, HuffPost, 29 Dec. 2013, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/are- you-right-brained-or-left_b_4169117

Kisida, Brian, and Daniel H. Bowen. “New Evidence of the Benefits of Arts Education.” Brookings, Brookings, 12 Feb. 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2019/02/12/new-evidence-of- the-benefits-of-arts-education/.

McDonald, Jen. “Funding for Schools’ Art Programs Ending?” Funding for Schools’ Art Programs Ending?, May 2016, https://www.kmsd.edu/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=312&ModuleInstance ID=1237&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316- 3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=3316&PageID=383.

“Rome’s Pantheon.” Rome Segway Tours 10 Facts about the Pantheon Comments, https://romeonsegway.com/10-facts-about-the-pantheon/.

Schulman, Tom. Dead Poets Society (Motion Picture). Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, 1989.

Smith, Fran. “Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who’s Doing It Best.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 28 Jan. 2009, https://www.edutopia.org/arts-music- curriculum-child-development.