Art Cash

Loved the McColl Center… it was oodles of fun and enriching. I was amazed at how much money is distributed among the art community. I didn’t think the government really cared that much about us. As an educator, you constantly hear about more funding going to science and math programs. At the same token, I constantly hear about new funding programs for the arts in the public school systems as well, whether it be music or dance or just visual arts, whatever. But sometimes it just doesn't feel like there is enough. I'm just not seeing the kind of support or financial backing that I think these children need to grow into more cultured individuals. Sure their getting art supplies out the ass… and the fundamentals are there too (roygbiv, gradation, space, shapes, etc.) but kids aren’t getting a proper understanding of the history behind it all, the wars that have been fought over freedom of artistic expression or who are the greats and what were their philosophies. In grade school, I was one of the top students in the art classrooms, but none if mattered because there was no passion behind it, because there was a limited amount of information. When I got to college, I learned the concepts that made me understand why art was important and that was what affected me the most… the ideas that start a work in the first place, not the finished product. This is going to be one of my primary focuses when I start teaching.