My Passion For Art

To begin with, budget cuts in art programs is an economic issue which affects both students and teachers. Even though the arts are often thought of as unrelated subjects, with basic class courses, they really are a collection of skills and perspectives that surpass most areas of human activity. Furthermore, art program budget cuts are occurring due to the fact that the government and the head of the school boards believe that the arts are not as important as other “academic” subjects such as language arts and math. In fact, cutting from the art programs may lead to teachers and students being left in grievous circumstances. For example, many teachers will have their pay raises reduced or teachers would have their paychecks cut or they will end up unemployed. Therefore, how are teachers suppose to support their families if they have had their pay cut? Would have to look for another job and spend less time with their family to help support them? Furthermore, students are also affected due to the fact that there will be less applications for FASA which would lead to “fewer students able to afford

Art programs around the United States are being shut down due to the lack of funding and misunderstanding of the subject. Many people think that the arts are just about drawing and painting. However, literature, performing arts, and media arts are on the list too. Students who are involved in an art curriculum are more likely to be successful in school than those who do not take them.

Whether rooted deeply through generations of a family or formed through an experience, passions and fascinations are what drives us, humans, to be who we truly are. At this point in my life, I do not want to reach comfort or perfection, but rather feel composed and confident in what I chose to merge my ballet skills with. When I dance, I escape reality and feel a pure exhilaration.This sensation shapes my curiosity and interest in the human anatomy. From the elements that make it up to ways in which people individually move their bodies, the human body is absolutely fascinating. Specifically, I am passionate about teaching ballet to younger students. By introducing ballet to kids early on, they will experience the same joy almost all dancers feel for a longer period of time. When I’m dancing I’m challenging your mind, releasing endorphins, and working hard. I am also eager to own my own business linked with teaching that will provide people with affordable dance equipment, and even more crucial, advice on what suits each person's personal needs. I know as I grow old my body will not be as capable as it once was, but I’m dedicated to spreading my appreciation of ballet to others. Overall, my passion for ballet and how I can utilize it to positively impact society as an entrepreneur has developed through the inspiration of my grandparents, the creativity of my former dance teachers, and my interest in the human bodies relation to ballet.

When I first glanced at the prompts and saw the one that asked me to speak of a passion of mine, I knew that this was definitely the prompt I had to choose. My passion is my love for comedy. Comedy has always been a huge part of my life and continues to be to this day. It has encompassed my life for as long as I can remember. Whether I was looking to others to make me laugh, developing laughter from being around my family, or myself making others laugh the memories are embedded in my mind. With these memories I have come to the conclusion that I have always found a way to make others laugh. I really don’t know if I make people laugh to gain friends or some other reason; whatever it may be, it has sparked a realization that this is something I love to do.

Art education initially began in the United States around the nineteenth century to prepare future workers to be able to “design competitive industrial goods” (Chira, 1993). Susan Chira explains in her article “As Schools Trim Budgets, The Arts Lose Their Place.” that in 1989 a nationwide survey conducted by the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana reports that since 1962 the amount of time devoted to teaching art in school had declined as well as the amount of full time art teachers. Throughout the sixties until the early eighties the nation was dealing with a major economic crisis. Most notably was the Great Inflation of the 1970's along with New York's 1970 Fiscal Crisis which greatly affected the art scene in New York that was at the time the place to be if you were an artist.

Arts programs are being cut due to the lack of state government funding to public schools; this has been an ongoing issue for several years. Narric Rome, senior director of Federal Affairs and Arts Education at Americans for the Arts, voiced her concerns, “The cuts that have been occurring for the past couple of decades ... however, with this recession… The entire system is very unstable; teachers are laid off one school year and brought back the next, or most times not brought back at all. If we are lucky enough to bring these programs back, they won’t be for a couple of years. Which means some students who are in school during these difficult economic times will completely miss out on the benefits of arts education.” (Hawkins). Schools in low income areas are forced to drastically--sometimes completely--cut arts programs from the curriculum.

The arts require a large portion of the budget, not only to pay art teachers but also for the materials needed. Yet it doesn't receive the money it needs in view of the fact that a lot of people demean the prevalence of the arts in education claiming that in the real world the arts aren't essential. In recent years the budget cuts have made art education almost a fictitious concept. This is a problem that is critically wounding student's right to a well-rounded toolkit. "A well-rounded educational experience that includes the arts is closely linked to academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity" (Velasco). The benefits of the liberal arts are limitless, by riding schools of art programs, public education is restricting innovativeness and diminishing the limitless of

Over three decades, art programs have been on the decline, because of budget cuts and the general thought of art being a privilege and not a necessity when it comes to the classroom. (Smith.) In fact, it has almost set a chain of continuous reaction. The children in the 1970s and 80s who were not exposed to art during class time are now adults who probably do not appreciate art today. And, if they themselves are involved in the education system, do not see art as an importance to the education of children today. In the article Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who 's Doing It Best Sandra Ruppert, Director of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), a national coalition of arts, business, education, philanthropic, and government

The reality in education has always been, when the money is tight, it’s time to get rid of something. Why, oh why does this have to be the case? The very first thing they look at is the arts. As stated by Charles Fowler, “In many schools, the status of the arts is fragile. When school systems face budget cuts, curtailments of art and music programs are an all-too common and seemingly easy solution. Reductions often come swiftly and ruthlessly, exacting debilitating losses on faculty and programs. Arts programs are sometimes eliminated by school administrators and boards of education without much anguish or serious debate, as if they are dispensable and unimportant, inconsequential and superfluous” (Fowler, 1996, p. 36).

Most importantly what happens to the future of art will be affected by art education or the lack thereof. Without our leaders thinking that art instruction is important the programs could be cut. They always cut music, art and sports programs. Artists who make teaching a part of their professional practice as

For as long as I can remember i've always had an innate passion and fondness for and with animals. In nearly all my photos as a child i'm always holding a kitten, cleaning a rabbit cage, holding a newborn goat, or sitting on a horse. My parents joke about how I learned to ride a horse before I learned to walk...it wasnt far off though. I always have known one thing though as that my passion for farming, 4-H, and animals would be apart of my future and career. To fulfill my passion and goals throughout highschool I have always been an active member of 4-H showing horses, dogs, goats, as well as being a member of the Junior Leaders 4-H club, horse judging team, and participating in non-animal projects such as sewing and photography. Through these programs I have met many people who have helped guide me as I have made my future decisions as well as developed many skills I plan to take with me to college.

There are a variety of things that I love and that I love to do, but I only have one true passion; that passion is with animals. Not only do I love animals in general, but I also love caring for and working with them. For as long as I can remember, I have always had a pet present in my life. I like to think that for that reason it is why I love animals as much as I do. For the most part, animals are friendly and can be like a friend when you need one. Animals are also incredibly cute, which is kind of a lame point to make, but it is still is an important part as to why I feel such compassion towards animals. As a child, I always had a special spot in my heart for animals. I can recall as far back as my first cat, Casper, who was like a best friend for my young self. He would let me play with him, he was gentle, and he was very friendly. He fell ill at an old age and I would wipe his drool and brush his knotty fur because it was hard for him to care for himself. My interest in the veterinary medicine most likely comes from this experience. Now I have two more cats, Phoebe and Luna, and one dog, Kasey. I like to think I have a great connection with all three, but I have an especially strong bond with my youngest cat, Luna. When I picked out Luna as a kitten at the shelter, I could see that we immediately had a connection. She was a very feral kitten and would not let anyone get close to her, let alone touch her, but she let me pet her. It was in that moment that I knew that

I was raised up believing in the importance of service and community as I saw my family members and neighbors selflessly help and be in community with people in need. It is therefore no surprise that I discovered my passion for service and volunteerism while still young. In my hometown Nairobi, Kenya, I did community service through various ways, including my involvement in the charity walk for Street Children and Orphans in Kenya in 2003 and the 2007 Brookside Freedom from Hunger Campaign. I participated in the charity walk for these causes and helped raise money to support street children, orphans, ending hunger, and was recognized as one of the top three people to raise the most funds. In high school, I volunteered at the St. Nicholas Children's home in Kenya, where I served, played, and was in solidarity with the children. In 2013, I earned the President’s Bronze Standard award given to me by Honorable Mwai Kibaki, the third president of Kenya for being a young person equipped with positive life skills and a change maker in my community, country, and globally.

Almost all little girls start their primary schooling years wanting to play school and wanting to learn. At home they act like they are teaching their own classroom and leading their group of students in front of them (most likely a stuffed animal), but their imagination, creativity, and eagerness to learn is at the peak when they begin their first day of school. Ever since that day I still want to be an educator and to make a difference in this field for the better. I have always found that the most intriguing thing for me in life is conveying knowledge and skills onto other people and watching in their eyes when the switch finally clicks that they understand what I have been trying to teach them. Knowing that the impact you made for just that short amount of time in that child’s life may never be forgotten.

Art. To me is something undefinable, what I want my art to show you is a piece of myself and a piece of yourself. Something we can all relate to; a memory, a song, a poem, art should make you feel something. Art is a gift, a tool we can use to hide beauty in ordinary places and things. I want to broaden my understanding of design and the world that art is beyond my knowledge and experiences. Because my love for creating burns so bright and deep within me, I am determined to find a career path that will allow me to explore the world of design and art every day. A number of art forms are endless and this seems like a daunting task to find just one path that can express the enjoyment and involvement I want to have with art. Throughout my life I have been endlessly drawing, painting, sculpting and creating--often times I feel almost cursed with such talent to create because the ability seems endless. I have taken a number of art classes exploring my passions as a High School Student and created many different types of works including oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings; etching, embossed, and screen printmaking; charcoal, graphite, and pastel drawings; Sculpting with ceramics and plaster as well as wheel pieces. I find that there is few mediums I have yet to experiment with. I have become accustomed to Acrylic paintings as I have recently started to create paintings and sell them to community members. I participated in a local art fair and it opened my eyes to what art