It’s wonderful that so many non-profit cultural institutions want to go into public schools
and conduct interactive arts exposure, but it simply cannot take the place of an integrated public school curriculum.
As our public school systems have jettisoned art, it becomes more and more peripheral to the consciousness of young people in this country.
I spoke to someone going to a community college in the suburbs:
a couple of years ago, he took an art class in high school that was near-collapse mid term when the school decided to phase it out. The teacher herself was determined to see the class to his conclusion at the end of the term.
He appreciated the creativity generated in the class and how it could enhance his learning experience across the board. But his friends didn’t. They didn’t know why he was taking it–what was the practical application?