The Value of Art Education:
Education in the Arts and Through the Arts
Presented by: The National PTA and The Getty Center for Education in the Arts
Why is Art Education Important?
Art is essential to learning-not just an educational frill. Learning about the visual arts gives students
a window onto the rich and interesting world around them, teaching them about their own history
and culture, as well as those of other people. It cultivates self-expression, imagination and creativity
as well as critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Students who learn about art develop their
capacities to weigh meanings and make evaluations and judgments.
Understanding and making art can teach students how to work cooperatively in groups and how
to work hard to achieve a goal. The development of all of these skills and attributed not only makes
students better learners but it also helps students feel good about themselves-it builds self-esteem.
And in a world in which ideas and information are often delivered visually, children need to learn
how to analyze and judge the meaning of images and how to use them to communicate their own ideas.
Today's educators and business leaders consider these skills and attributes vital to individual achievement
and America's progress. Yet the fact is that most schools have experienced budget cuts in art programs
during the last 10 years and, as a result, some schools offer little or no instruction in art. The students at
these schools are missing an opportunity to expand skills so necessary to succeeding in a competitive
economic environment in our culturally diverse, visually oriented world.
Education in the arts and through the arts is essential, and a complete approach to learning includes
comprehensive visual arts education for grades K-12.
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