Envisioning the Future of Arts in Education

Last December, Americans for the Arts collected Green Papers from a variety of national arts service organizations and peer groups as a way to celebrate successes in the field over the past 50 years.  These Green Papers are intended as visions for the future and are meant to inspire a nationwide dialogue on the future of the arts.   They can now be read and commented on at the Americans for the Arts Blog, http://blog.artsusa.org/category/greenpapers/.

Young Audiences Arts for Learning submitted a paper titled Humpty Dumpty Looks to the Future ‘Putting the Arts and Education back Together Again’ with a vision for the future that places arts learning as a “distinct and distinctive means of enhancing young people’s creativity, learning, and quality of life.”  The author proposes a list of ‘To Do’s by 2040 which includes the need for academically conducted research that affirms the effects of arts learning on creativity, learning and life skills and habits of mind.  The paper envisions a future where all young people are allowed the opportunity to experience arts learning instruction delivered by arts specialists, classroom teachers, and by teaching artists as part of a unified and comprehensive curriculum.

While the past 50 years have seen a growing understanding of and appreciation for the intrinsic and fundamental value of arts instruction, the arts are still far more likely to be marginalized or pushed to the periphery than integrated as part of the core curriculum.  The value of the arts as an essential tool for developing creative and cognitive skills in today’s youth is yet to be fully realized and put into practice by many in-school decision makers.  The ambitious and inspiring vision for arts in education that the Young Audiences Green Paper proposes is a glimpse of an attainable reality, but only if discussions and dialogue continue about this topic.  Visit the Arts Learning for Children and Youth Blog on Americans for the Arts at http://blog.artsusa.org/2010/02/16/green-paper-arts-learning-for-childrenyouth/ to read the paper in its entirety, and take part in this important conversation.

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