Funding for the Arts

Funding for the Arts

What is Civic Engagement? 

1] ~“Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing

the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the

quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.”
“The Definition of Civic Engagement.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 July 2003, https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/college/collegespecial2/coll_aascu_defi.html.

~" Civic engagement includes both paid and unpaid forms of political activism, environmentalism, and community and national service."
“Civic Engagement.” Civic Engagement | Youth.gov, https://youth.gov/youth-topics/civic-engagement-and-volunteering. 

2] ~I thought about civic engagement as someone who is a part of a community that helps others or makes their

community better by working through current issues or simply just adding programs or services to help the community.

3] ~An issue I think is important is the lack of funding for the arts because art should be seen as a core subject since it

would help students be overall successful and as well give them freedom of expression.

Growing up, I was lucky enough to have had art in my life but what I usually remember was my teachers having to take

donations or paying for art supplies out of their own pocket. It always had seemed as if art was put on the back burner and

just was not important enough to be a core subject. The arts are an important subject for a developing brain and overall has

benefits for everyone in different ways. As I read in the article, “Importance of Art Education” there is a handful of benefits;

to name a few: helps develop creative problem-solving skills, visual learners comprehend, motor skill development, language,

social skills, decision making, risk-taking, inventiveness, and overall just how they may view the world. 

“Importance of Art Education.docx - 1 Importance of Art Education Student\u2019s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Title Instructor\U2019s Name Assignment: Course Hero.

” Importance of Art Education.docx - 1 Importance of Art Education Student\u2019s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Title Instructor\u2019s Name Assignment | Course Hero, https://www.coursehero.com/file/67221380/Importance-of-Art-Educationdocx/. 

This issue has been an ongoing problem I have seen throughout my life. Yes, society has started seeing the importance of the

arts and trying to fund them but it is still a work in progress. Currently, I go to school at California State University, Los Angeles

for Studio Art, and honestly, I can see the lack of funds when I enter the art building, compared to many of the other buildings on

campus that look brand new. As some of my professors have mentioned that it looks like a dump, but if it weren’t for the professors

who chip in to help from their own time and money, the department would probably be worse off. If it were not for the community

of professors who cared for their students, the university would probably have cared less for the art department. For example, I have

been working at the Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery on campus and my director was telling us how she had to march with a

herd of students to the dean's office a few years ago to save the gallery because the university wanted to turn the space into an office instead.

Another example is how the old ceramics professor spent much of his time and finances fixing up the ceramics studios, so it wouldn’t

look like an actual dump. The stories go on about the lack of funds but here are some facts about not just from my own personal observation

but overall how the California education system is poorly funded for the arts but is much needed for people of all ages. 

“Impact.” Keep Arts in Schools, https://www.keepartsinschoolsfund.org/impact. 

LA County Arts Ed Profile, https://www.lacountyartsedcollective.org/profile/tool/#coords=34.25154/-118.31589/9. 

“Less than 40% of all California students currently participate in arts courses.”

“Impact.” Keep Arts in Schools, https://www.keepartsinschoolsfund.org/impact. 

LA County Arts Ed Profile, https://www.lacountyartsedcollective.org/profile/tool/#coords=34.25154/-118.31589/9.