Arts Advocacy
Below is my annotated bibliography with various helpful resources I found to help art teachers advocate for their programs and for the arts in schools. I think it is best to be armed with this information, and be proactive in getting public support in your community before it comes to a crisis. Being proactive and involved is the best prevention.
__ Annotated Bibliography for Arts Advocacy
1. Winner, E. & Hetland, L. (2007). Art for our sake-school arts classes matter more than ever. The Boston Globe.
Retrieved from: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/09/02/art_for_our_sake/
Ellen Winner, a professor of psychology at Boston College and Lois Hetland, associate professor of art education at the Massachusetts College of Art are also researchers at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They also co-authored ``Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education. They assert that the arts do not need to exist to bolster other subject areas. They say we need the arts because they not only introduce students to aesthetic appreciation, they teach other modes of thinking we value as a society. Furthermore, they state that art classes maintain a powerful thinking culture, and that the academic classes could learn from art classes the techniques such as in-process guidance and discussions, and looking at tasks with more complexity, for example. This article was written to inform readers of the newspaper, The Boston Globe. I agree with the authors that a focus on the arts would restore balance and depth to an educational system skewed toward test skills and memorization of information instead of the deeper creative thinking that takes place in art education.
2. Eisner. E. (2002). Ten lessons the arts teach. National Art Education Association. Retrieved from: http://www.arteducators.org/advocacy/10-lessons-the-arts-teach
Elliot Eisner, Emeritus Professor of Art & Education at Stanford University, is a scholar, author and former President of the National Art Education Association. As a leader in the field of art education, he supported DBAE, or Discipline-Based Art Education. He first published this quick, concise list of ten lessons the arts teach in his book The Arts and The Creation of The Mind. Since then the list has been adopted and made into a handy electronic handout which can be downloaded from the NAEA website for distribution to students, parents, administration, or the public to advocate for the arts. The list of ten things that the arts teach summarizes what the more subtle, underlying lessons are that come from art-making, such as problem-solving and multiple perspectives. I have always considered Eisner to be the most important figure in the field of Art Education today, and base a great deal of my personal art philosophy on his work. In addition to this article, NAEA’s website for art educators, holds numerous hints and ideas for teachers to get support and advocate the arts.
3. Arts Advocacy and Resources (2010). Davis Art. Retrieved from: http://www.davisart.com/Portal/TeacherResources/T_resourcesDefault.aspx?curPage=ArtAdvocacy
Davis art, an art education textbook and resource company since 1901, has been an excellent resource for art educators for generations. Their website has many links and ideas for art advocacy and lobbying with downloadable posters, theories, and research that are easy to read and share. Their target audience is art teachers out in the trenches, and it has made a quick and easy guide for them to access all the necessary information on the topic. Topics include creativity, right brain initiative, education and careers in the arts. I have personally visited the site of Davis Arts here in Massachusetts, and find them to be caring and committed to supporting art education and educators in schools.
4. The National Art Education Association (2012). Tips for parent advocacy. Art Educators. Retrieved from: www.arteducators.org/advocacy/TipsforParent.pdf
Parents can advocate keeping visual arts programs in their schools. This site lists facts and statistics that support it. The intended audience of this article is for parents and others who are concerned about quality art education in schools. It is created by the National Art Education Association, so it is biased to protect the arts of course. It gives helpful advice such as: how to prepare arguments and personalize the issue by stating how it will affect your children. It advises parents to know who supports and opposes the issue so they are prepared. Parents are also told to have available fact sheets, a summary of whom it would affect, an analysis of facts and statistics that support their view, as well as surveys and opinion polls of other parents in their community. Overall this is a very well presented article that committed parents would find easy to read and implement.
5. Rohrer, K. (2011). Arts advocacy. Incredible Art Resources. Retrieved from: www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/links/artedu.html
Incredible Art is an organization for Art Educators, which shares resources such as lesson plans, teaching strategies, educational ideas, and this page with arts advocacy. Ken Rohrer, former art educator and the main writer for the site, has gathered an astounding number of links on the topic, which include dozens of hints and resources that teachers can use in arts advocacy, including employment and economic statistics about the arts industry by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It also lists organizations, professional development, collaborations and a section on advocating the arts with our politicians. The intended audience for this site is obviously art educators, and all of the resources and links gathered here would be a great deal of assistance to any art educator interested in the topic of Art Advocacy. This site also contains a short video of politician Mike Huckabee discussing the importance of art and music in education.
6. Arts Wisconsin (2011). Arts activist tool kit. Arts Wisconsin. Retrieved from: http://artswisconsin.org/research/activistcenter/activisthandbook.cfm
The Board of Directors of Arts Wisconsin, made up from various arts groups in their state, have put together this excellent resource with talking points, facts, figures and inspiration for arts advocacy. Hints for testifying before elected officials, working with the media, connecting with candidates, and organizing your community are all posted for any arts organization to utilize. Originally created to help the arts community of the state of Wisconsin, it has included a downloadable tool kit which can be utilized by the arts activist, educator, or concerned citizen anywhere in the country. It is clear, and easy to use, and the very specific ideas it gives would be extremely helpful. The site is so specific, it even gives step-by-step guidelines on how to testify before legislators. I found this website to hold an impressive array of valuable resources, and it is so generous of this group to share all their work and research in order to benefit the arts everywhere.
7. Smith, F. (2009). Why arts education is crucial, and who’s doing it best. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development
Fran Smith, contributing editor of Edutopia, an online website for educators, writes that education is about teaching students to be human beings, to be citizens, and that art education also teaches them to enjoy the deeper forms of beauty, which is equally as important. She mentions years of research that shows that arts are closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools, such as academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity. I like this article because it explains how many school systems that cut art and music from their school in the past, are reviving the programs by forging partnerships with their community arts culture.
8. Skorton, D. (2009). The Arts Are Essential. What Works in Education. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/arts-education-humanities-creativity
David Skorton, a physician and bio-medical scientist, and President of Cornell University, explains what he believes helps students gain admission to college. He states that the arts are far from being non-essential adornments, and should be considered with equal importance. He states the arts and humanities should be encouraged because they nurture our creative instincts, and help us explore what it means to be human, both ethically and aesthetically. This easy to ready article meant for educators and parents, explains Scorton’s belief in the value of arts education to our culture in the future. He believes teaching creativity is not a luxury but a necessity. This essay was adapted by the author from an address given at a 2007 forum, "Transforming Arts Teaching: The Role of Higher Education”. I found this article interesting since it was written by a scientist who defended the arts for their own sake, and disagreed that they should be justified only for their utility to the service of science.
9. Indiana Arts Commission (2010). Connecting people to the arts. Indiana Arts Commission: Facts & Figures. Retrieved from: www.in.gov/arts/2361.htm
This informative government website meant for the state’s citizens, shows the Arts Advocacy Reports and Statistics on Arts Budget of Indiana, and its effect on students. It also includes statistics on improved academic performance and lower drop-out rates for students who participate in the arts. This also includes facts about the positive economics of cultural tourism that impacts the country, citing the fact that two-thirds of adults say they visit cultural or arts activities when they travel. In addition to Arts Advocacy, and Economic impact of cultural tourism, the site also covers youth and art education, and funding for the arts. For a government website, I find it refreshingly positive about the importance of arts in their state, and it gives plenty of evidence as to why it supports it.
10. National Guild (2011). Advocacy. National Guild for Community Arts Education. Retrieved from:www.nationalguild.org/Programs/Advocacy.aspx
The National Guild for Community Arts, founded in 1937, supports access to lifelong learning of the arts by providing resources, funding, research, professional development, and advocacy for the field. Their staff wrote this website about effective advocacy for community arts education. It can take many forms and occurs in a variety of settings. The site is divided into two main advocacy categories: Action and Resources. Tools, practices, research data, publications and other online information are here to help you and your organization advance arts education in your community. What I like about this site is that it considers itself the “voice in the field”. It seeks to create better well- being for communities through the vehicle of the arts. There are links to two especially interesting items, an “Advocacy 101 Workbook”, and a “Local Arts Rapid Response Kit” to help when you face an impending funding cut. This will help the people of the community take swift action to advocate for arts in your own local area.
11. Edutopia (2011). Why Arts Education Must Be Saved. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/arts-education-art-music-report
The staff of Edutopia, which is an online community of educators, created this special report on why arts education should be protected. The article points out that despite some grim statistics about arts programs being cut due to budget restraints and pressure to improve test scores, some schools are forging innovative community partnerships to bring rich, academically integrated arts curriculum to their students. The article discusses programs like poetry slams, and hip-hop music and dance that especially reach out to more marginalized students with less access to the arts.
12. Moss. I . (2010). A statistic that every arts advocate should know. Createquity. Retrieved from:http://createquity.com/2010/05/a-statistic-that-every-arts-advocate-should-know.html
Ian David Moss, writer and arts advocate, published his thoughts on recent survey taken with Harvard students.He believes it is an excellent argument to include in arts advocacy. When asked what career they would choose if finances were not a concern, Harvard seniors chose the arts with 16 percent indicating it as their “dream” field, which was more than was said for any other field. Moss believes that since many of these graduates will likely play significant economic and leadership roles in their future communities, that it is significant for arts advocates to note that this group cares a lot about arts and will be a considerable force to be cultivated. Personally, I found this statistic interesting, and perhaps somewhat hopeful, but I do not see how it is helpful to use in arguing for Arts Advocacy. He seems to think that if the best and brightest of our youth are choosing the arts (if money were no object) then it must be worthy. I do not agree with his logic, but the statistic is worth noting.
13. Americans for the Arts. (2012). National Arts Action Summit. Retrieved from http://www.artsusa.org/get_involved/advocate.asp
This national group advocates for the arts in various ways: politically, through the media, funding, professional development, and research. They will be holding a summit called the 2012 Arts Advocacy Day in Washington DC on April 16 and 17, 2012. Here they will teach ways for concerned citizens to be heard by congress who want to make a case for spending on arts and arts education. It also gives the opportunity to network and learn ways to influence the decision-makers. This site is designed for concerned citizens who wish to get involved and take action in getting political support and funding for the arts community. Links are provided that direct letters to legislators that support bills that keep arts as a core subject in schools, and other issues such as funding and tax issues. I think this site is helpful to those who want to get involved politically, but did not know how to go about it. It is incredibly easy to go to a link on this site, which lets you simply fill-in-the-blank or copy and paste a letter to a legislator or even President Obama regarding any arts topic. I did not know about Arts Advocacy Day before this, but I now plan to use this as an opportunity to educate my colleagues and administration on the topic.
1. Winner, E. & Hetland, L. (2007). Art for our sake-school arts classes matter more than ever. The Boston Globe.
Retrieved from: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/09/02/art_for_our_sake/
Ellen Winner, a professor of psychology at Boston College and Lois Hetland, associate professor of art education at the Massachusetts College of Art are also researchers at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They also co-authored ``Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education. They assert that the arts do not need to exist to bolster other subject areas. They say we need the arts because they not only introduce students to aesthetic appreciation, they teach other modes of thinking we value as a society. Furthermore, they state that art classes maintain a powerful thinking culture, and that the academic classes could learn from art classes the techniques such as in-process guidance and discussions, and looking at tasks with more complexity, for example. This article was written to inform readers of the newspaper, The Boston Globe. I agree with the authors that a focus on the arts would restore balance and depth to an educational system skewed toward test skills and memorization of information instead of the deeper creative thinking that takes place in art education.
2. Eisner. E. (2002). Ten lessons the arts teach. National Art Education Association. Retrieved from: http://www.arteducators.org/advocacy/10-lessons-the-arts-teach
Elliot Eisner, Emeritus Professor of Art & Education at Stanford University, is a scholar, author and former President of the National Art Education Association. As a leader in the field of art education, he supported DBAE, or Discipline-Based Art Education. He first published this quick, concise list of ten lessons the arts teach in his book The Arts and The Creation of The Mind. Since then the list has been adopted and made into a handy electronic handout which can be downloaded from the NAEA website for distribution to students, parents, administration, or the public to advocate for the arts. The list of ten things that the arts teach summarizes what the more subtle, underlying lessons are that come from art-making, such as problem-solving and multiple perspectives. I have always considered Eisner to be the most important figure in the field of Art Education today, and base a great deal of my personal art philosophy on his work. In addition to this article, NAEA’s website for art educators, holds numerous hints and ideas for teachers to get support and advocate the arts.
3. Arts Advocacy and Resources (2010). Davis Art. Retrieved from: http://www.davisart.com/Portal/TeacherResources/T_resourcesDefault.aspx?curPage=ArtAdvocacy
Davis art, an art education textbook and resource company since 1901, has been an excellent resource for art educators for generations. Their website has many links and ideas for art advocacy and lobbying with downloadable posters, theories, and research that are easy to read and share. Their target audience is art teachers out in the trenches, and it has made a quick and easy guide for them to access all the necessary information on the topic. Topics include creativity, right brain initiative, education and careers in the arts. I have personally visited the site of Davis Arts here in Massachusetts, and find them to be caring and committed to supporting art education and educators in schools.
4. The National Art Education Association (2012). Tips for parent advocacy. Art Educators. Retrieved from: www.arteducators.org/advocacy/TipsforParent.pdf
Parents can advocate keeping visual arts programs in their schools. This site lists facts and statistics that support it. The intended audience of this article is for parents and others who are concerned about quality art education in schools. It is created by the National Art Education Association, so it is biased to protect the arts of course. It gives helpful advice such as: how to prepare arguments and personalize the issue by stating how it will affect your children. It advises parents to know who supports and opposes the issue so they are prepared. Parents are also told to have available fact sheets, a summary of whom it would affect, an analysis of facts and statistics that support their view, as well as surveys and opinion polls of other parents in their community. Overall this is a very well presented article that committed parents would find easy to read and implement.
5. Rohrer, K. (2011). Arts advocacy. Incredible Art Resources. Retrieved from: www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/links/artedu.html
Incredible Art is an organization for Art Educators, which shares resources such as lesson plans, teaching strategies, educational ideas, and this page with arts advocacy. Ken Rohrer, former art educator and the main writer for the site, has gathered an astounding number of links on the topic, which include dozens of hints and resources that teachers can use in arts advocacy, including employment and economic statistics about the arts industry by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It also lists organizations, professional development, collaborations and a section on advocating the arts with our politicians. The intended audience for this site is obviously art educators, and all of the resources and links gathered here would be a great deal of assistance to any art educator interested in the topic of Art Advocacy. This site also contains a short video of politician Mike Huckabee discussing the importance of art and music in education.
6. Arts Wisconsin (2011). Arts activist tool kit. Arts Wisconsin. Retrieved from: http://artswisconsin.org/research/activistcenter/activisthandbook.cfm
The Board of Directors of Arts Wisconsin, made up from various arts groups in their state, have put together this excellent resource with talking points, facts, figures and inspiration for arts advocacy. Hints for testifying before elected officials, working with the media, connecting with candidates, and organizing your community are all posted for any arts organization to utilize. Originally created to help the arts community of the state of Wisconsin, it has included a downloadable tool kit which can be utilized by the arts activist, educator, or concerned citizen anywhere in the country. It is clear, and easy to use, and the very specific ideas it gives would be extremely helpful. The site is so specific, it even gives step-by-step guidelines on how to testify before legislators. I found this website to hold an impressive array of valuable resources, and it is so generous of this group to share all their work and research in order to benefit the arts everywhere.
7. Smith, F. (2009). Why arts education is crucial, and who’s doing it best. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development
Fran Smith, contributing editor of Edutopia, an online website for educators, writes that education is about teaching students to be human beings, to be citizens, and that art education also teaches them to enjoy the deeper forms of beauty, which is equally as important. She mentions years of research that shows that arts are closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools, such as academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity. I like this article because it explains how many school systems that cut art and music from their school in the past, are reviving the programs by forging partnerships with their community arts culture.
8. Skorton, D. (2009). The Arts Are Essential. What Works in Education. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/arts-education-humanities-creativity
David Skorton, a physician and bio-medical scientist, and President of Cornell University, explains what he believes helps students gain admission to college. He states that the arts are far from being non-essential adornments, and should be considered with equal importance. He states the arts and humanities should be encouraged because they nurture our creative instincts, and help us explore what it means to be human, both ethically and aesthetically. This easy to ready article meant for educators and parents, explains Scorton’s belief in the value of arts education to our culture in the future. He believes teaching creativity is not a luxury but a necessity. This essay was adapted by the author from an address given at a 2007 forum, "Transforming Arts Teaching: The Role of Higher Education”. I found this article interesting since it was written by a scientist who defended the arts for their own sake, and disagreed that they should be justified only for their utility to the service of science.
9. Indiana Arts Commission (2010). Connecting people to the arts. Indiana Arts Commission: Facts & Figures. Retrieved from: www.in.gov/arts/2361.htm
This informative government website meant for the state’s citizens, shows the Arts Advocacy Reports and Statistics on Arts Budget of Indiana, and its effect on students. It also includes statistics on improved academic performance and lower drop-out rates for students who participate in the arts. This also includes facts about the positive economics of cultural tourism that impacts the country, citing the fact that two-thirds of adults say they visit cultural or arts activities when they travel. In addition to Arts Advocacy, and Economic impact of cultural tourism, the site also covers youth and art education, and funding for the arts. For a government website, I find it refreshingly positive about the importance of arts in their state, and it gives plenty of evidence as to why it supports it.
10. National Guild (2011). Advocacy. National Guild for Community Arts Education. Retrieved from:www.nationalguild.org/Programs/Advocacy.aspx
The National Guild for Community Arts, founded in 1937, supports access to lifelong learning of the arts by providing resources, funding, research, professional development, and advocacy for the field. Their staff wrote this website about effective advocacy for community arts education. It can take many forms and occurs in a variety of settings. The site is divided into two main advocacy categories: Action and Resources. Tools, practices, research data, publications and other online information are here to help you and your organization advance arts education in your community. What I like about this site is that it considers itself the “voice in the field”. It seeks to create better well- being for communities through the vehicle of the arts. There are links to two especially interesting items, an “Advocacy 101 Workbook”, and a “Local Arts Rapid Response Kit” to help when you face an impending funding cut. This will help the people of the community take swift action to advocate for arts in your own local area.
11. Edutopia (2011). Why Arts Education Must Be Saved. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/arts-education-art-music-report
The staff of Edutopia, which is an online community of educators, created this special report on why arts education should be protected. The article points out that despite some grim statistics about arts programs being cut due to budget restraints and pressure to improve test scores, some schools are forging innovative community partnerships to bring rich, academically integrated arts curriculum to their students. The article discusses programs like poetry slams, and hip-hop music and dance that especially reach out to more marginalized students with less access to the arts.
12. Moss. I . (2010). A statistic that every arts advocate should know. Createquity. Retrieved from:http://createquity.com/2010/05/a-statistic-that-every-arts-advocate-should-know.html
Ian David Moss, writer and arts advocate, published his thoughts on recent survey taken with Harvard students.He believes it is an excellent argument to include in arts advocacy. When asked what career they would choose if finances were not a concern, Harvard seniors chose the arts with 16 percent indicating it as their “dream” field, which was more than was said for any other field. Moss believes that since many of these graduates will likely play significant economic and leadership roles in their future communities, that it is significant for arts advocates to note that this group cares a lot about arts and will be a considerable force to be cultivated. Personally, I found this statistic interesting, and perhaps somewhat hopeful, but I do not see how it is helpful to use in arguing for Arts Advocacy. He seems to think that if the best and brightest of our youth are choosing the arts (if money were no object) then it must be worthy. I do not agree with his logic, but the statistic is worth noting.
13. Americans for the Arts. (2012). National Arts Action Summit. Retrieved from http://www.artsusa.org/get_involved/advocate.asp
This national group advocates for the arts in various ways: politically, through the media, funding, professional development, and research. They will be holding a summit called the 2012 Arts Advocacy Day in Washington DC on April 16 and 17, 2012. Here they will teach ways for concerned citizens to be heard by congress who want to make a case for spending on arts and arts education. It also gives the opportunity to network and learn ways to influence the decision-makers. This site is designed for concerned citizens who wish to get involved and take action in getting political support and funding for the arts community. Links are provided that direct letters to legislators that support bills that keep arts as a core subject in schools, and other issues such as funding and tax issues. I think this site is helpful to those who want to get involved politically, but did not know how to go about it. It is incredibly easy to go to a link on this site, which lets you simply fill-in-the-blank or copy and paste a letter to a legislator or even President Obama regarding any arts topic. I did not know about Arts Advocacy Day before this, but I now plan to use this as an opportunity to educate my colleagues and administration on the topic.