“The object of art is to give life a shape.” ~ Shakespeare
The human experience is captured, shared, and studied through art, and yet it is generally deemed as less worthy than other disciplines in our education system. It’s labeled as a nice-to-have luxury instead of being rightfully celebrated as the crux of what it means to be human. I’m not sure when or why art was relegated to be a lower priority than other parts of our education. For many, myself included, art saves, serves, and inspires. It has kept me reaching, working, and striving for as long as I can remember. We’d be lost and unrooted without it. We would lose our history, sense of self, and connection to one another across generations.
In a time when everything seems to be up for negotiation in how we should educate our children, I hope we can change this. I hope that by the time my nieces are grown, the choice to be an artist is revered just as much as the choice to be a doctor, lawyer, or scientist. I hope art is no longer relegated to the select few who can afford it and that everyone will cultivate their own inner artist as a part of their everyday lives. Art, and the ability to make it, is a birthright, not a privilege.
Christa Avampato 