The first time I heard the phrase “arts advocacy” was about three years ago. I had obviously heard the word “arts” before, and knew that advocacy meant to publicly support, so I figured arts advocacy meant public support for the arts. However, I had never heard the words used together before. At the time, I was performing in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) and my director told us about how important arts advocacy, or support for the arts, is and how badly it was lacking in the South. Now, of course, that is a generalization, however it rang true for Lubbock, Texas, and after moving to Norman, Oklahoma, I observed the same problem: there is a lack of arts advocacy in the Oklahoma community. Both visual and performing arts culture and inform people about other humans and history in a creative fashion. For instance, drama is the study of the human condition; actors explore humans and then perform plays that contain characters that these actors have made their own. If this sub-branch of art isn’t advocated for, the less people will know about other humans and other cultures, and the more it will show. By discussing this problem, the stakeholders I have interviewed and I hope to raise awareness of the arts and increase the number of advocates and supporters of the arts in our community.
There isn’t just one significant problem with arts advocacy in Oklahoma; it’s a myriad of problems that have accumulated over the years. To be fair, Oklahoma, specifically Norman, is actually going through an artistic and cultural awakening, and it isn’t the absolute worst place for the arts. However, the support for the arts just simply is not up to par. One of the problems I’m going to explore is the fact Norman is considered a ...
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...s of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish.” As a community, we must make a change if we want to see the arts prosper and thrive. Local nonprofits, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts, and many others have done their part; now, it’s our turn. I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but one person can make a big difference. Contrary to popular belief, being an arts advocate doesn’t mean being some radical protester. An arts advocate is someone who just does a little to show support for the arts and gets others to support the arts, as well. Anyone and everyone can be an advocate, even if they don’t consider themselves an “artsy” person. It’s time for strides to be made in the art community, and its time for us, as a community, to become advocates.
Gordon Bennett and Tony Albert are both urban-based artists who explore their Indigenous backgrounds and the issues that are centered on their culture. Gordon Bennett’s issue for society is the denial of Indigenous
Print. Compton, Jeffrey. Arts America: Enjoying the Best Art Museums, Theater, Classical Music, Opera, Jazz, Dance, Films, and Summer Festivals in America. Las Vegas, NV: Huntington Press. 2009.
Though people can look into color and composition, others can still even look into the source of the art itself. Cole goes deeper, delving into the source of the art, looking in particular into the idea of cultural appropriation and the view a person can give others. Though it is good for people to be exposed to different opinions of a group or an object, sometimes people can find it difficult to tell the difference between the reality and the art itself. Sometimes art can be so powerful that its message stays and impacts its audience to the point where the viewer’s image of the subject of the art changes entirely. Cole brings up an important question about art, however. Art has become some kind of media for spreading awareness and even wisdom at times, but in reality, “there is also the question of what the photograph is for, what role it plays within the economic circulation of images” (973). Cole might even be implying that Nussbaum’s advertisement can sometimes be the point of some media, and that sometimes the different genres of art can just be to make someone with a particular interest happy. One more point that Cole makes is that “[a]rt is always difficult, but it is especially difficult when it comes to telling other people’s stories.” (974) Truthfully, awareness and other like-concepts are difficult to keep going when a person or a group is not directly involved.
As a native Austinite, I carry a native’s passion for Austin’s soul. My father’s career was with PageSoutherlandPage (PSP) and my mother worked with Austin Custom Records and Austex Printing. Our family prized and modeled a pioneering and creative mindset, built on a foundation of tolerance and inclusiveness—in other words, the Austin soul. As an example, we were one of the first families to build in Westlake in 1965 and my mother named our street, since our home established its existence. Cutting-edge architect A.D. Stenger built on the lot next to us, and I religiously donated my 25¢/week allowance to the Westlake High School building fund, believing this meant I would soon own a building. Years later, I learned how to drive on Mopac—since there was so little traffic on it—and flew in and...
A fine arts education including music, drawing, painting, and photography has been a part of a well rounded curriculum for decades, but soon that may be changing. The fine arts department in the public education system has constantly been barraged with budget cuts. On several occasions, The Texas Education Agency has repeatedly refused to provide sufficient financial aid to back up important funds that are set up to benefit our youths. These funds are are now coming from parents in a desperate attempt to keep several deemed “unnecessary” programs from shutting down. Not only does the art and music education is essential to the children's learning process, it also grants them the proficiency to mature and become versatile citizens, and why together as a state, we needed to campaign together to save these programs.
Logsdon, L. F. (2013). Questioning the Role of "21st-century skills" in arts education advocacy discourse. Music Educators Journal, 100(1), 51-56.
...reet Art, Ideology, and Public Space.” NYUClasses, Portland State University. 2012. PDF file. 6 May 2014
Jane Alexander, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), once said, “Many children are missing out on something which gives their education context, gives their lives depth and meaning, and prepares them to be the future workforce.” This “something” that she spoke of is music and art education. Unfortunately, she is entirely correct. We are currently seeing in our country a dramatic cut in arts education curriculum in our public schools due to the limited amount of both time and funding. In many cases budget cutbacks mean arts education cutbacks. This limited amount of resources often forces administrators to place a value on the various subject areas. There is always a demand for greater concentration upon the traditional basics: English, math, science, and history. There is also a new focus on computer competency and a renewed focus on the need for foreign language education. Add to this health education, family life education, industrial arts education, AIDS education, home economics, physical education, and business education and one begins to wonder where arts education fits in.
Edelman, M. (1995). “The Cardinal Political Role of Art.” Art to Politics: How Artistic creations
...pressing of emotions, identifying with other systems of thought. Theatrical arts have managed to transcend ethical issues, racial differences, and many other facets of discourse in society. If theatre is indeed an engine for social change it should not be held from the people who need it the most. Those who are incarcerated. Programs across the nation have already started to see success in the prisons they operate in, so to think about the effect that theatre in prison would have on a nationwide scale is indeed a beautiful thought. If theatre programs in prison would be funded by the states or nationally, potentially the idea of professional prison playhouses could become a reality, and the world would be introduced into a new era of art that is truly a beautiful thing to behold. Shakespeare writes in Hamlet, “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
Staff Writers. "10 Salient Studies on the Arts in Education." Online Colleges. 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. .
When I was in high school, I was very involved in the arts. I took a band, choir and two years of visual art. During the years of high school, I knew that the fees for the art courses cost much more than other electives at my school. I also observed that the school focused more on their athletic and academics programs, than on their art programs. We had many fundraisers to raise more money for the art programs even after paying an already expensive fee to takes these electives. Schools are neglecting the visual arts programs and placing all of their money and focus on academics and athletics programs. I propose a balance between the arts, academics, and the athletics.
"Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best." Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.
Although The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) of Boston was the only place dedicated to contemporary art for more than 50 year, it is having trouble growing into a pillar of the art industry (Reavis, 2010, pg.1). The main problem is the organization’s powerless leadership. According to Peter Northouse (2015), leaders must possess an effective influencing power in order to motivate followers (pg.47). The leaders prior to Jill Medvedow failed to get the local community fondly interested in contemporary art or an environment that showcases it. Therefore, there are no investors, donors, or patrons breaking down the door to fund or see the exhibits presented in the old
The arts have influenced my life in amazing ways. Throughout my life, art has been the place I run to and my escape from the world. As I’ve grown older, art has become so much more than that. Every piece of art I create is a journey into my soul. It’s a priceless way to deal with my emotions and my struggles. I create art not only because I enjoy it and because I want to, but because I have to. Somewhere deep inside there is a driving force, urging me to put my heart down on paper. I become emotionally attached to each of my pieces because they are like dashes on the wall marking my growth. Each one is the solution to a problem I have dealt with and overcome.