Arts and Education

Today the arts are eroded by the constant suggestion that they are not useful or valuable. Why should you pursue a career in the arts, when it will surely lead to financial ruin? Why should we fund the arts, if they are an extravagance? If the purpose of education is to prepare a student for the work force, and that work force has no need for the arts, why teach it? Shouldn’t your time and money be more concentrated on your own needs? The idea that the arts are integral to communal health, and that they support a vibrant democratic society, are buried under assumed frivolity. How can we, as artists, teachers, and arts advocates, combat this perception? The following are questions for the panelists: • Who should fund arts education, and why? • What does your experience tell you about the value of an arts education? • How will someone who is not planning a career as an artist benefit from an arts education? • Why is it important to retain support for arts education programs, regardless of funding levels? • What is the value of collegiate arts programs as opposed to apprenticeships? o Moderator - Jason Cox – UT Art Education o Panelists o Laura Tawill (pending)- Elementary Art Educator and Past President of the OAEA o Holly Hey – UT Film and Video o Timothy Brakel – UT Music Education o Lee Fernside (pending) Undergraduate Seated Programs for Humanities, Tiffin University

Overview