What's Art Gotta Do with It?

Art offers a unique opportunity to share with others what you feel on the inside. On this day filled with ideas of love, I think it is appropriate to explore what Art has to do with it. If you are like me, you became an Art teacher because you love Art and teaching. You like being able to make something with your hands and have an idea spring from your mind into something tangible. You also like being able to show others how to do that with their ideas, too.

Art is an amazing tool we have to be creative, innovative, to collaborate and communicate with others, as well as show pieces of ourselves that sometimes might go unnoticed. In addition to all of those smooshy, gooshy, heartfelt reasons to love Art, Art also has a lot to do with how we learn, function, and perform in our lives.

One thing I make sure to emphasize with students is that Art is everywhere. From the chair you sit in to your favorite television program, both aesthetics and design were apart of their creation and both are taught in the Visual Arts classroom. In addition to Visual Arts as a way to teach design, it is also important to note that Art has a lot to do with how students do in their other classes. A recent study published in the U-T San Diego posted by Andrea Ondish on our MAEA Facebook wall, points out how classrooms that integrated Visual Arts curriculum with other classes yielded higher scores than classes that did not. For many students, Art is the reason to come to school. It is what allows everything else make sense.

For this February 14th, consider what Art has to do with your life and maybe consider making it a Valentine...

Jim Dine at the Meijer Gardens, 2011