At a young age I was always involved in art, and I had so much artistic freedom and supplies in the public school system. Sadly, LAUSD has cut arts funding by 76% over the past five years. Public school systems should be able to fund the arts because I think this is crucial when it comes to giving students these creative opportunities. The funding was so abundant and there were so many fun art activities when I was in middle school from 2006-2009.
Since I attended a decent high school in the region, I was able to participate in these art programs and classes throughout my high school years in 2009-2013. In high school, we had one Art class, but it wasn't as creative and fun as art should be. A former art teacher of mine had us draw objects for the entire semester, and tested us on the different art epochs, without bothering to ask what our level of proficiency was. There was one thing that sucked, though, and that was you needed to be a Magnet student at that school in order to participate in these fun activities/classes, such as photography, sculpture, and the annual chalk art competition. As an art enthusiast, I've always felt it was unfair that those outside of Magnet didn't get to take part in these fun creative activities/classes.
This low level of art funding is negatively affecting students since I'm sure there are those who want to participate in theater, drama, dance, and the arts. Public schools sometimes provide these non-profit after-school programs for their students so that they can be creative and have fun. Students in the LAUSD can take advantage of programs such as LA's Best, After-school All-Stars, and LACER to help with homework, sports, and art.
Despite the fact that there's still a lack of funding when it comes to the arts in today's public schools, and there's always news of how LAUSD is improving or would like to give more funding to the arts, I still see nothing. However, I still find it good to see these after-school programs, giving students these opportunities when they may not have them in school. To help the students become more creative and to see how this can benefit our communities, it is imperative we have these resources and teach these skills. Community is important to me because when we can make a difference to a person or a community, it goes a long way. After-school programs like LACER helped me stay out of trouble as a middle and high schooler, and it also taught me new things like music and dance skills at a young age. In a way, it's crazy to think that it came full circle since I currently teach after-school art for LACER after-school programs, and I am enamored with seeing so many students who are interested in learning and who want a creative space not available to them in classroom settings. My community is important to me, and I love helping in any way I can because I feel that if we engage in activities and help others better our community, we're doing something that none of the school districts or government officials are doing. Throughout my artistic journey, I've learned so much from some amazing teachers and after-school mentors. My mentors have made a huge impact on me over the years, so I'd be honored if I could teach art one day and be someone's mentor. Because I grew up in some rough neighborhoods in Los Angeles, I don't think I would have made it where I am today if not for these teachers and after-school programs. It can go a long way in changing a student's life and mentality to teach any kind of art, like dance, music, or theater. The goal here is to encourage more people to help fund public school art.
Works Cited
Southern California Public Radio. “LAUSD Arts Funding Cut 76% in Five Years.” Southern California Public Radio, 10 Oct. 2012, https://archive.kpcc.org/blogs/education/2012/10/10/10421/lausd-arts-funding-cut-76-five-years/.
Southern California Public Radio. “Arts Ed Least Available to LAUSD's Poorer Schools.” Southern California Public Radio, 1 Apr. 2015, https://archive.kpcc.org/news/2015/03/19/50456/schools-in-need-to-get-more-lausd-arts-funding/.
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