Arts Education is as important to have in schools as any other subject, not only for creative expression and outlet, but also to understand the world, our history ~ why things are the way that they are today, and different methods of communication.
"Never before have so many people been making so many photographs. And why not? Photographs let us get a good look at stuff. Through them we can hold on to people who are not near. Photos have a life beyond the present. The light that bounced off of Abraham Lincoln's skin knocked electrons off of Mathew Brady's plate and formed the image we hold in our imaginations (and our pockets) today."
-Dana Davis
"Plato had a love-hate relationship with the arts. He must have had some love for the arts, because he talks about them often, and his remarks show that he paid close attention to what he saw and heard. He was also a fine literary stylist and a great story-teller; in fact he is said to have been a poet before he encountered Socrates and became a philosopher. Some of his dialogues are real literary masterpieces. On the other hand, he found the arts threatening. He proposed sending the poets and playwrights out of his ideal Republic, or at least censoring what they wrote; and he wanted music and painting severely censored. The arts, he thought, are powerful shapers of character. Thus, to train and protect ideal citizens for an ideal society, the arts must be strictly controlled."
-Plato's Aesthetics
"The arts of ancient Greece have exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries all over the world, particularly in the areas of sculpture andarchitecture. In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models. In the East, Alexander the Great's conquests initiated several centuries of exchange between Greek, Central Asian and Indian cultures, resulting in Greco-Buddhist art, with ramifications as far as Japan. Following the Renaissance in Europe, thehumanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art inspired generations of European artists. Well into the 19th century, the classical tradition derived from Greece dominated the art of the western world." -Wikipedia
Education in general has gone downhill in our society, no doubt about it. But, we all say we want to do what's best for our people, our children, for our country, ourselves, for the world... Not just arts education, but education in general is the foundation of a society, shaping the world. If we truly want to improve quality of life in our time, why are we not putting as much money into schools as we are sports and entertainment?
"Never before have so many people been making so many photographs. And why not? Photographs let us get a good look at stuff. Through them we can hold on to people who are not near. Photos have a life beyond the present. The light that bounced off of Abraham Lincoln's skin knocked electrons off of Mathew Brady's plate and formed the image we hold in our imaginations (and our pockets) today."
-Dana Davis
"Plato had a love-hate relationship with the arts. He must have had some love for the arts, because he talks about them often, and his remarks show that he paid close attention to what he saw and heard. He was also a fine literary stylist and a great story-teller; in fact he is said to have been a poet before he encountered Socrates and became a philosopher. Some of his dialogues are real literary masterpieces. On the other hand, he found the arts threatening. He proposed sending the poets and playwrights out of his ideal Republic, or at least censoring what they wrote; and he wanted music and painting severely censored. The arts, he thought, are powerful shapers of character. Thus, to train and protect ideal citizens for an ideal society, the arts must be strictly controlled."
-Plato's Aesthetics
"The arts of ancient Greece have exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries all over the world, particularly in the areas of sculpture andarchitecture. In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models. In the East, Alexander the Great's conquests initiated several centuries of exchange between Greek, Central Asian and Indian cultures, resulting in Greco-Buddhist art, with ramifications as far as Japan. Following the Renaissance in Europe, thehumanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art inspired generations of European artists. Well into the 19th century, the classical tradition derived from Greece dominated the art of the western world." -Wikipedia
Education in general has gone downhill in our society, no doubt about it. But, we all say we want to do what's best for our people, our children, for our country, ourselves, for the world... Not just arts education, but education in general is the foundation of a society, shaping the world. If we truly want to improve quality of life in our time, why are we not putting as much money into schools as we are sports and entertainment?
