ANSWERING QUESTIONS

Why the arts?

What do the arts bring?

What are the benefits and impacts of arts education?

The arts educators, teaching artists, and arts administrators represented the visual arts, music, theater, dance, Hip Hop, spoken word, media, and mixed media. To answer the questions: Why the arts? What do the arts bring?, and What are the benefits and impacts of arts education? the group reviewed “10 Lessons the Arts Teach,” by Elliot Eisner, and discussed different projects currently underway with students throughout Newark. The group focused on how arts education offers opportunities to learn artistic practices and skills, gives individuals ways to channel personal voice and expression, allows for creativity and imagination, and provides a sense of empowerment and liberation.

Several participants straddled the worlds of social work, art therapy, and arts education, and there was a conversation about the distinctions between the goals and practices of the different domains. While the lines may be blurred, there were some distinctions made about the outcomes: art therapy focuses more on internal and personal processes, and arts education adds a focus on skills, techniques, and quality of presentation. The group reviewed the New Jersey State Arts Standards and also talked about the implications of school systems’ increased focus on students’ social and emotional learning across curricula.