Be An Art Education Advocate
Do you feel that art education is important to your child's school, but aren't sure how to best advocate for it?
Advocacy is sort of like the spark that ignites a fire. It all starts with one person, who has an idea and the passion to drive that idea. But, one person can not do it all alone.
The National Art Education Association's website has a wonderful section on art education advocacy, including links and resources: Advocacy Made Simple.
Advocacy is sort of like the spark that ignites a fire. It all starts with one person, who has an idea and the passion to drive that idea. But, one person can not do it all alone.
- Connect with your school's art teacher. Most art teachers would welcome help hanging up projects for art shows and maybe even an extra set of hands for complicated or messy projects in addition to advocating for art education's continued presence in the school.
- Seek out like-minded individuals in your community who also care about art education in your schools.
- Attend school board meetings and voice your concerns there. Create a short presentation on why you think art education is important. Bring students and their artwork and have them speak as well. There's nothing more compelling than hearing from children and having them describe why they love art class in their own words.
- Create an "elevator speech" on the importance of art education. Memorize a few facts from Elliot Eisner's 10 Lesson's the Arts Teach. Talk about your child's love for art class and how it helps them be more enthusiastic about school. Keep your speech short... most people only remember about 17% of what they hear.
The National Art Education Association's website has a wonderful section on art education advocacy, including links and resources: Advocacy Made Simple.