Art Education Admission Essay

Art is something I couldn’t live without. I was never involved in anything. I never played sports and I was never active in clubs, so when I came to the realization of being interested in art, it was so exciting. I knew I would never be good at anything like sports, opposite my brothers. Both of my brothers had played football and basketball from their days in elementary school to high school. It just wasn’t the “thing” for me. Recently, I went to Art Club just to check it out and see what it was like. Consequently, I fell in love. Now, I can’t imagine my life without art. Since joining this club, I have become more creative, made more friends, and spread my horizons. Art has showed me what type of person I am and has made me grow as an artist and person.

Growing up I was always fascinated by history. I like to imagine my love of history was passed on to me by my grandmother who was both a history major and a history teacher; however, I was never able to genuinely connect with her since she had already passed years before I was born. No matter the case, I reciprocated her passion. I decided that I wanted to pursue a career that involved a more hands on approach appertaining to history aside from teaching. Therefore, I concluded I wanted to ultimately work in a museum. An opportunity to shadow a museum director, a position I hope to be in one day, truly exposed me to that specific environment and sealed my determination like never before in regards to my future.

Greek philosopher Aristotle defines the arts ¨as the realization in external form of a true idea, and is traced back to that natural love of imitation which characterizes humans, and to the pleasure which we feel in recognizing likenesses.¨(IEP). The fine arts which have been a part of human history for 30,000 years have played an essential role in the development and advancement of our societies. As of today, the fine arts are facing the danger of vanishing in the education system of the United States Schools in places like Minnesota, Michigan and Philadelphia struggle to obtain arts programs within their schools. Districts like the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district, have been struggling with raising student’s academic scores in courses

It is through completing the Art Making and Responding activities that I have demonstrated my learning of contemporary arts education through developing an appreciation for authentic practices through observing and reflecting on the processes. These activities have changed my perception of arts education as a meaning-making experience; demonstrating my abilities through the form of performance and written analyses. With this, I have learned that it is important to critically reflect on my responses to the Art Making and Responding activities to further my development as an educator. It is because of these activities that I have been able to position myself as an authentic learner of the arts and recognise the skills which will influence positive

Some people look at art as something trivial, a thing people do because they are too lazy to have a professional occupation, but to others, art engulfs their whole world, gives life meaning, and they feel as if talent is only gained by hard work. With these opinions, there can be a debate on including art in education, and whether or not the education system should be putting more of an emphasis on teaching children art. Specifically visual art, although there are valid arguments on why other spectrums of the arts should also be taught in school.

Vincent Van Gogh, a brilliant artist from Auvers-sur-Oirs, France, once explained his passion for art: “I dream my painting and then I paint my dream.” The importance of art classes is a highly debated topic in the educational system and whether or not art is a necessary class to provide students. There is an extensive amount of different forms of “the arts,” including music, drama, foreign languages, painting, drawing, and sculpting. No matter what form of art, they all have many positive outcomes. Art classes should be fully funded in public school because they help the emotional development of students by allowing them to communicate their emotions, take a break and relax from any stress, and express their beliefs and opinions.

Early childhood environments should set out to provide children with the freedom to express and respond freely. The more children are given opportunities to recreate things they see in their everyday lives, the more they can create their own meaning and understanding of the world around them. Hyun (1998) believes that educators should teach and learn in environments which require in-depth reflection on their own lives and values. I feel this can connect with the way an educator values art with in the learning environment. By having your own personal understanding, values and connection with art and its impact on your own life, can help in allowing the flow of artistic creativity in your teaching practices. If you are open to the world of art in the form of experiences, discussion and critiquing, then you can pass this enthusiasm towards art onto your learners. Teaching pedagogies which take a more hands on approach to art

Art education is connected to everything we say we want for our children and our schools. Arts pave the way for academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity. Arts education contributes to a positive education environment, fueling motivation to learn by enhancing skills in thinking and sociability. Exposure to the arts and learning in the arts impart proficiencies in language and mathematics.

In my family tree i'm known as one of the “smart ones” along with my sister. My sister and I always strive to better ourselves by being involved in school activities ever since we were in elementary. I; however, am considered to be the more creative one having to do with the awards and projects i have accomplished in and out of school. I am also labeled as an artsy person in school by my friends. Whenever i’m not busy working on school i will be found glued onto my sketchbook and drawing whatever i can possibly do.

Being heavily invested in my own art-making practice, I’ve chosen the National Art School over other more stereotypical higher education establishments. I want to receive a traditional education in the fine arts at a place I can call home. The National Art School is that place. From my visits I can say wholeheartedly that the National Art School feels like it’s own little village. The people, the historical relevance of the site, the atmosphere, everything about the campus is one of a kind and I won’t find an experience quite like it anywhere else.

Whenever I'm feeling stressed, I pick up a pen and begin to draw. It has a calming,

According to Belden and Fessard (2001), “instruction in the arts is one of the best ways in which to involve the different modes of learning; through art, children learn complex thinking skills and master developments tasks.” Art educators strongly believe that integrating art into the classroom can be constructive and beneficial to students. Integrating art into the classroom keeps students motivated and focused. According to Lindemann, “making art that is tied to a lesson in another subject area provides an opportunity to commit those lessons to memory and encourage a deeper understanding of other concepts”. ( art for social and emotional child development at a preschool age) Learning by integrating artistic content into the core of the schools curriculum such a math and literacy is a stronger motivation than teaching the subject alone.

As children, our parents usually put us in an activity to keep us occupied, and often it turns into a passion and defining characteristic. However, even with a history of various sports and hobbies, ten-year-old me still didn’t feel ‘special’ enough. What could I do that nobody else would expect? The fact that drawing came so naturally to me was surprising, seeing as how almost every child likes to draw. Yet, the idea of being an artist felt somehow unique. I never found appeal in art classes and having somebody tell me what to draw, so I taught myself. I adored it, and often found that I was better and more driven than others who had been drawing for years. To this day, I’ve found that if I embrace my own ideas and convey them through my

Teachers need to have a clear idea of what constitutes good standards in art, and to have high expectations of their pupils; these should be communicated by direct instruction, through discussion and through the display of art in school. (Clement et al., 1998, p. 4)

Art education has been proven to help with “cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills” as well as “motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork” (Smith). Having the ability and patience to sit down and paint a masterpiece or work through a song on the piano requires high focus and dedication. Students willing to do this will in turn have stronger skills to focus and be dedicated in other subjects. The mixture of all these abilities gained from participation in art programs lead to higher test scores and overall better performance in school. Still, these are only a few of the assets provided by art education.