Art Education and National Security: A Missing Link?

Tribute in Light 2011. Image via flickr user Wasabi Bob

Hello art advocates! If you follow art policy news you've probably heard that there has been a lot of new arts education research lately, some of which could spell great news for arts advocates. I'll have more to say on that research later. But right now I'd like to draw your attention to a nugget I found in a report only tangentially related to arts ed. The report is on a fascinating subject - how shortcomings in our education system can have implications for our national security. So where does arts education fit in? Read on to find out.

A"failure of imagination"
     The report in question is the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force Report No. 68: U.S. Education Reform and National Security. (The Council on Foreign Relations is a nonpartisan membership organization and think tank that works to help members and the public "better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.") It's a fascinating report for anyone with an interest in our education system, no matter what your politics are. The research examines everything from graduation rates to civics education. The data is then interpreted through the lens of national security - in terms of workforce preparedness, both for employees of government agencies as well as businesses and nonprofits.
     So how does this relate to the arts? Check out this quote, from the report's Recommendations portion:

"The 9/11 Commission highlighted four U.S. shortcomings that opened the door to the terrorist attacks. One of these was a failure of imagination on the part of U.S. security agencies.  In 2001, the failure to spot and connect the dots was catastrophic for the United States. The Task Force believes that all young people—those who aim to work in national security and those who aim to work in corporations or not-for-profit organizations—must develop their imaginations from an early age...The Task Force members believe that to retain this important competitive edge, lessons in creativity— whether in the arts or in creative analysis or imaginative problem solving, must begin in early elementary school." (page 47)

In other words, U.S. security agencies were so lacking in critical thinking skills that they were unable to "spot and connect the dots" that spelled tragedy and disaster in New York, Washington, and across the U.S. - and the world.

The Creativity Crisis meets National Security

     If you're familiar with the "creativity crisis" - the idea that strident focus on teaching to the test in American curricula is creating a workforce ill-prepared for the challenges of many of today's jobs - this realization that a "lack of imagination" can be catastrophic will not be terribly surprising. But this is the first I had seen the issue brought up in the context of our national security. 

     Of course I'm a little disappointed that the report does not take this important realization and translate it into a recommendation for an increase in arts education funding and resources for art teachers (it mentions extracurriculars and arts integration - both important, but not a replacement for a strong arts curriculum). Still, there is potential for implications of this report to become bigger if someone else took the recommendations and conducted further research.

Do you think this connection between the importance of imagination and creativity and our national security could help arts advocates? Have you seen examples of students ill-prepared for the challenges of the workforce? Tell me in the comments!

A Powerful Piece of Advocacy: The Artistic Rebuttal Book Project

Happy almost April! It's officially arts advocacy season, with Arts Advocacy Day in Washington just around the corner. Sadly, I won't be able to make it down to DC this year (even more of a bummer since Alec Baldwin, aka 30 Rock's Jack Donaghy, is giving this year's Nancy Hanks Lecture!). But I'm not going to sit this advocacy season out. Aside from writing to my senators and representatives on the relevant issues (as always), I'm going to submit a rebuttal to the Artistic Rebuttal Book Project. Read on to learn more about this project and how you can submit a rebuttal of your own!

The Artistic Rebuttal Book Project: A Brief History
     In January 2011, artist, arts administrator and arts advocate Amy Scheidegger heard some teens dissing the arts while out and about in Philadelphia, where she lives. In that moment, Scheidegger got fed up and turned her anger into action. That very night, she "built the concept and logistics of asking everyone I had ever known to tell me why they make art." Scheidegger then put out a call for artistically rendered statements asserting the power, impact, and importance of the arts - hence "artistic rebuttal." The ARBP was born. (For more background you can check out the ARTSblog piece I wrote on the ARBP last year.)
     According to Scheidegger, last year the project received 274 artistic rebuttals from 22 states (wowza!). Rebuttals came from the usual suspects (artists, museum and theater workers, writers) and some unusual ones too - ARBP also received submissions from the medical, newspaper, and social work fields, among others. 109 of the rebuttals were from kids. (I think this would be a fabulous project for an art class - and some art classes have taken them on!)
     All rebuttals from the state of Pennsylvania were combined into a book that was presented to PA Senators and Representatives at Arts Advocacy Day last year. In addition, a Kickstarter campaign funded the publishing of Artistic Rebuttal books, which were distributed to key people both within and outside the arts. Founder Amy Scheidegger has also been hitting the lecture circuit, speaking at both Drexel University and Louisiana State University. She was also named a 2011 Philadelphia Creative Connector (for obvious reasons). 

 What does an Artistic Rebuttal look like?
     I love this project because the rebuttals themselves are so powerful- both individually, and as a whole. They spell out everything great about the arts, and the aesthetic adds to that power. The artistic rebuttals themselves are as diverse as their creators, in terms of both visuals and message. If you've read this blog you know there are a myriad reasons to support the arts, from economic and urban planning to those reasons that are harder to express - the soul. Many of these reasons are reflected in the rebuttals. You can view a gallery of all rebuttals at the ARBP website. (And here is one of my favorites.)



What's next for the ARBP?
     So there's your 2011 history of ARBP. What's happening with the Project this year? The success ARBP enjoyed last year has paved the way for an ambitious 2012. Partnerships with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Apiary Magazine, Appalachian State University, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Beaufort County Arts Council in Washington, NC. And ARBP has gone from an idea to a staffed organization - of which Scheidegger is the Director. "By introducing this book to the world, I...charged myself with a task that would ask more of me than I ever asked of myself," she says.


So- it's Friday now. The deadline for to submit a rebuttal this year is Friday, April 6 - a week from today! I guess you know what you're doing over the weekend, right? RIGHT? (If you didn't get that, I'm encouraging you to submit an artistic rebuttal!) I know I'm making one this weekend (note - if you're not artistically inclined, write your thoughts down and take a picture!) Information on how to submit is available at the Artistic Rebuttal Book Project website.

NAEA Preview: Artists Changing our Worldview (or at least making us think)



TASK Party at Illinois State University, Normal, IL. Image by tlindenbaum on Flickr

Recently I was reading this post from fabulous contemporary art blog Hyperallergic about artists at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The piece covers three artists whose artistic practice also has a tangible result rooted in social or environmental change. But even artists without such a straightforward social mission have potential to change the way we think. That's part of what makes art so vital, and why advocates work to keep art accessible, both in schools and out. Read on to find about two artists whose work might change the way you think. Added bonus: if you're lucky enough to be attending this week's NAEA (in my home city of New York, hooray!) you'll have the opportunity to attend events featuring these extraordinary artists. And if you're around on Saturday March 3, you can even become part of the work...

Oliver Herring: changing how we think about interaction
     For me, the main event at NAEA will be Oliver Herring's TASK Party taking place on Saturday, March 3. You might already know about TASK; parties have been held at museums, high schools, colleges and at other venues in the US and abroad. But if you're not in the know...what is a TASK Party? On the base level, it's just what it sounds like: a group of people come together at a designated place and time to brainstorm and complete various tasks together. Tasks come from a communal box or pool, and once a participant completes a task they write down a new one for the pool. It's a collaborative, improvisational art event designed to get participants creating and interacting in different ways. Herring sets the proverbial (or perhaps, literal!) ball in motion at a TASK party, but after that a Frankenstein-ian element can take over as participants have creative control...not the artist. Some sample tasks: "Ask someone if you can paint him or her on a wall." "Make a chicken hat." " Create an extra limb. Then find a doctor to amputate it."
     Perhaps now is not the time to bring up the "but is it art?" question as it pertains to TASK. (If you're reading this, you're probably not a skeptic!) Lucky for me Art 21 already asked Herring about that. Here is his articulate and inspiring answer:

"When you can communicate to anybody that it is possible to make something meaningful out of something that’s simply around you...I think it becomes clear that if you find meaning in that, you might also find meaning in similar situations in your life. You might just simply look at life slightly differently. You might not look at a mundane situation as that—you might see it as holding the potential to turn it into something more beautiful or meaningful or something with which you can communicate to another person." -Oliver Herring

For one person, participating in a TASK party might just be a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. For others TASK might totally change your perspective. You might find yourself looking for potential in the mundane - whether that's objects or interactions. Perhaps you'll bond with a stranger over your chicken hat. You might create something beautiful...or perhaps the interactions you have with others is the beautiful part, and the best end result.

Jean Shin, Chance City, 2009. From Jean Shin: Common Threads at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, May 2009.
Image via americanartmuseum's Flickr.

Jean Shin: changing how we think about stuff

     Jean Shin's artwork is all about the potential in the mundane, but in a different way. And while TASK might make you consider your interactions with other people, Shin will make you think about your relationship to stuff--discarded stuff. Shin creates installation pieces from discarded items, resulting in large sculptures that inspire the viewer both aesthetically and conceptually. What does what we throw away say about us, individually and as a culture?  By reassembling great amounts of discarded objects, like pill bottles or lottery tickets, Shin makes them new again, while raising new questions about their significance. I love sculpture that raises these (at this risk of sounding pretentious) Duchampian ideas about the aesthetics and significance of found objects.

     One such work is Chance City - a model-sized city built completely from discarded losing lottery tickets. The visual richness of the work, the materials, and the construction can all lead to different interpretations that might make the viewer thing. Is the work a comment on the fragility of the housing market in the US? Or is it about the viability of the American Dream? Is it about luck? Another work, Chemical Balance, turns collections of those familiar orange prescription pill bottles into stalagmite and stalagtite-esque chandeliers that are illuminated from the inside. Again, there are any number of ways to interpret this work. When I look at the work, I see a rumination on the modern dependence on prescription drugs, for better or for worse. Someone else might see it as a comment on chemical versus natural forces. Yet another might see a new chandelier for the dining room! And that's the beaty of it.

To learn more about TASK and Oliver Herring check out TASKparty.org and Art 21's Oliver Herring artist page. Craig Roland also has a nice description of TASK and a list of example TASKs at his blog.

 For more on Jean Shin check out her website, www.jeanshin.com. This 2009 piece from NPR's Morning Edition also talks about Shin's artistic practice/

For more information on where and when to find these two artists at NAEA go to this schedule. You can bet I will be there- if you see me, say hello!

P.S. My apologies for the lack of posts in the last month. Aside from a variety (yes, a variety!) of illnesses, my grandfather, Gil Davis. He was a great man, a World War II vet, an ardent fan of Boston sports teams, and a terrific grandfather. And most importantly for this blog, he inherited Davis Publications from his father and grandfather, and worked there for nearly 60 yaers. It's safe to say if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here blogging today. This post is for him.

January Refreshment: Feel-Good News from Art Classes Everywhere!

"Diffuse winter" by flickr user Malik_Braun. Note: it looks nothing like this in my home of New York City right now.

Hello, Art Advocado readers! I have to confess: January is not my favorite time of year. It's cold (though not as cold as it could be at the moment), the holiday fun is over, it's dark before I leave the office, spring seems forever away, and work has been absolutely bonkers. In need of a pep-up to get me through the month, I turned to my trusty google alerts and news aggregators to find out about some terrific things happening in art classes across our fair nation. Following is a roundup that will lift your spirits no matter how deep you are in the January Doldrums! Read on to find out about do-gooder art classes, Martin Luther King Day celebrations, and much more!

"Sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures": Celebrating MLK Day

• A very lucky find: while searching for found objects for art projects with one of her students, Cleveland high school art teacher Jayne Sylvester uncovered an extremely rare recording of Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking at her school just a year before his death. The reel-to-reel recording was dangerously close to being lost forever as it was hiding in a box of discarded items set to be tossed. "It's like a lost treasure. It will be absolutely wonderful for the kids to hear," said Glenville High School principal Doris Redic. In the speech King tells students that they must seize upon opportunities presented to them, no matter how humble, if they are to overcome racial prejudice. "If it falls your lot to be a streetsweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry, sweep streets like Beethoven wrote music." You can listen to clips and the the whole twenty-one minute speech at the Plain Dealer website. 
• In commemoration of MLK day, Vermonter Stephanie Greene recalls the inspiring art teacher from her middle school who happened to be African American- an anomaly in 1960s Vermont, which was the whitest state in the union until very recently. Greene calls Hugh Corbin "a one man Happening" who used new and different materials in his classes and included art history in his teachings to inspire and motivate even the surliest middle-schoolers. "I carried his lessons forward," says Greene, recounting how she even ran into him in (appropriately) an art museum many years later. As many of you know, it's no small feat to have such great impact on a thirteen year old!

Aw, shucks! Art teachers and their students doing good in their community

• Art teacher Carolyn Mullinax is not only teaching a great skill but also helping her community...through knitting? Yes, you heard that right! Mullinax's knitting club has morphed into a project called Looms of Love, in which third- through fifth-graders knit hats for women and children to a local nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence. "I wanted the kids to have a connection back to their environment, but I wanted a charity that does not get as much recognition as some of the others," Mullinax told The Post and Courier. The club has already donated fifty hats and another fifty are on their way. Looms of Love was funded by a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission - what a great example of the far reach of public funding for the arts! (This one's for you, Mom.)
• In Clarksville, Indiana, one high school's art club is also using their extracurricular time to pull the one-two punch of art-making and community service. With the support of art teacher Donna Burden, the club designed and created ceramic bowls for their annual Empty Bowls Soup Dinner. Attendees purchase the handcrafted bowls and then enjoy a simple soup repast from their chosen piece; all proceeds go to feed the hungry. The club made over 150 ceramic bowls for the dinner; they are hoping their efforts will help them surpass last year's $2,400 fundraising total. (Empty Bowls is an international charity based around fundraisers like this one; you could even hold one at your own school!) 
• Some Peoria, Arizona third- and fourth- grade art students helped brighten the holidays for over one hundred local veterans and troops in Afghanistan by sending them handmade, personalized holiday cards. (One very sweet example: "Merry Christmas where you are, but get back here as soon as you can…from your new pal, Mikey.") The initiative came about through a partnership between the art department at Apache Elementary and a local Elks Lodge. 
• Don't forget our animal friends! Through the month of December, art students from Fleming Island High school (along with a few alumni and teachers) spent their free hours beautifying their local Clay County, Florida animal shelter. Artistically rendered dogs and cats now adorn the walls of the shelter. “It makes it less dreary to walk in for those people trying to adopt and the people who are working here,” tenth grader Trevor Johnson says. Added bonus: the paint was donated by local businesses!

Art Teacher Positivity Potpourri 

• Hamilton, Ohio art teacher Abe Harris overcomes an incredible physical challenge to do his job:  he was born without arms. He was inspired to become an art teacher by an instructor he had at Miami University who noted that Harris's experiences could be an asset to a career in education. "He said I had unique perspective on how art was created and was able to help people solve problems in new ways." Fifth-grader Natalie Taveras says her remarkable art teacher "shows us how not to feel bad about yourself and to believe in yourself." Extraordinary and inspiring.
• Rockford, Illinois art teacher Crystal Swanson also has a unique perspective on teaching art: she didn't start until she was in her fifties. Swanson's passion for art education belies her late start in art education. "Art is where students are encouraged to be creative," she told the Rockford Register Star. "Sometimes a kid will come to art and it’s the only thing that will keep him in school. You don’t ever want to shut a child down.” Swanson also attributes her school's high test scores to the strong art ed program. Sounds like someone the art teachers - and arts advocates - should be glad we have on our side!

I'm always looking for new stories for roundups and for posts, so if you've got something let me know! For every story I get to highlight in a roundup there are probably hundreds that I miss...or that might have missed the paper. You can post a comment here, email me at alisondwade@gmail.com, or get me on Davis Publications' Twitter page.

A New Year's Resolution for Advocates: Focus on the Local

Support Your Local Art Gallery by LikeMindedStudio.com. via Flickr

Happy New Year! Last time I wrote here, I had food on the brain...and though we're now in post-holiday detox time, I'm still thinking about food. (Honestly, I'm ALWAYS thinking about food...) The concept of eating locally - purchasing food produced or harvested nearby your respective home - has gained a lot of traction in the last few years. This idea has spread beyond food to other realms - like Small Business Saturday, which took place during the holiday shopping season and encouraged consumers to buy at local business. So what does this local movement have to do with art advocacy? Whether you are a brand-new or a seasoned arts advocate, it's never a bad idea to focus on the local....or even the hyper-local.

Staying Informed
     When I first became interested in arts advocacy I found it easiest to focus on the big picture - like how much money the NEA received and the state of, er, state arts councils across the country. Those issues are important because of their broad impact on the field- whether you work in a school or at a non-profit arts organization. But it's important not to neglect the issues going on close to home.
     That's where this post from ARTSblog's Tim Mikulski comes in. Mikulski points to hyper-local journalism and blogs as a valuable resource for advocacy information, since sites like Patch and the Examiner (which have local editions all over the US) frequently cover local politics. "The information coming through my alerts from sites like Patch includes coverage of events and information vital to the arts community," Mikulski says. (I've noticed the same thing, and it's definitely reflected in my arts education round ups - many of the stories come from Patch and Examiner sites!)

Getting The Word Out
     In his blog post, Mikulski urges advocates to utilize hyper-local sites and blogs as resource for local issues where answers can be hard to track down. But what about using Patch and similar sites as a way to get the word out? I propose a New Year's resolution for art teachers and arts advocates: utilize hyper-local news outlets or blogs in your advocacy efforts. Op-eds are a great way to advocate for your program, and when your audience is located in your surrounding community, you have the advantage of making super-specific local references that might not have the same impact if writing to a broader group. This editorial by a Florida music teacher is a great example.
     No time to write an op-ed? You could even go more informal just by letting your local bloggers and journos know what's going on in your art room, through email, local connections, or even social networking - Mikulski notes that hyper-local reporters are often active on Twitter. After all, advocacy is all about relationships. Only have a few minutes? In a world where blog comments can get really nasty, and really grammatically incorrect, coherent and articulate comments could help garner some positive attention.
     The most seasoned arts advocate I know has a mantra: "You can't make friends when you need friends." Getting the positive word out through hyper-local press could come back to help you later when you need to garner support - rather than knocking on doors when push has already come to shove. Making friends and allies now - in person or virtually - is a good strategy particularly in this politically contentious climate.

Feel-Good Holiday Post: Food and Art as Uniting Forces

Michael Rakowitz, Enemy Kitchen, Hudson Guild Community Center, 2006. Image via More Art

Now I don't want to go all "kumbaya" on you, but I would like my last post of 2011 to end on a high note. It's the holidays, everyone's frazzled, needs to get in the spirit, remember what is really important, yadda yadda yadda. But seriously, with all the crazy divisive political rhetoric that has gone on this year (and that will continue next year, no doubt) I think it's a good time to look at some uniting factors. In the past I've talked about how art connects us to our ancestors thousands of years ago, but how can we connect to people today who are different than ourselves today? Well, no matter what side of the aisle you sit on, or vote on, no matter who you worship, no matter what country to pledge your allegiance...you've got to eat. Read on for some musings on the power of art and food to connect across differences.

 
Uniting across nations...and across the aisle
    Recently I heard an interview with food personality Anthony Bourdain in which he talked at length about the power of food to cross potentially volatile cultural and political boundaries.* As you may know, Bourdain is a sort mouthy but charming chef and food writer who travels the world sampling local cuisine for his TV show. Often his experiences with food serve as a window into the broader culture of a place, from Saudia Arabia to New Jersey to Iceland to the American South. Needless to say he has feasted at the tables of all sorts of people.
     In this interview, Bourdain commented that breaking bread with people who operate in totally different value systems (and ones that most Americans might find offensive or suspect) is actually a great exercise in unity, as it forces you to put politics aside and think "hey, if these folks are behind this delicious food and tremendous hospitality we must have something in common, no matter what they believe." Bourdain thought that this line of thinking should be applied not just in other countries but within the United States as a way to unite red and blue-staters during this especially divisive political time.

Cooking in the Enemy Kitchen
     I thought back to that interview when I came across several articles about the Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz. Rakowitz has been getting a good deal of press in the last week or so, since the official end of the Iraq war. His projects are participatory works that use food in much the way Bourdain describes. But in Rakowitz's work the food isn't just a vehicle for cultural understanding but also a jumping off point for cross-cultural dialogue.
     For his ongoing piece Enemy Kitchen, Rakowitz cooks Iraqi food for different groups of people while asking his guests questions about the Iraq war and America's relationship with Iraq. Enemy Kitchen is meant to create a safe space where participants can discuss their feelings about the Iraq war, and, more broadly, American and Iraqi cultural differences. Many participants don't know much about Iraqi culture due to its relative in America - which makes food a good entry point for the topic. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Rakowitz's practice operates on the idea that "food creates a 'social platform and circumstance' that can stimulate a 'cultural puncture' among distinct geographical, political and psychological realms."

Food as "cultural puncture"
     To me, Rakowitz's concept of "cultural puncture" as an entry point to empathy with another culture, is quite similar to Bourdain's idea that food and hospitality are an equalizing force across difference. Of course, we aren't all as lucky as Bourdain who could plausibly go to Iraq and enjoy Iraqi hospitality and a home-cooked meal. It's almost as though Rakowitz understands this and has created that opportunity for us regular-folk in the United States. Not all of his projects take place in strictly art institutions either- in 2006 he conducted an Enemy Kitchen at the Hudson Guild Community Center in Manhattan with a group twelve-year-olds.
     You can read more into Rakowitz's creative process, the philosophy behind Enemy Kitchen, and reactions from participants in the SF Chronicle piece and on the the Smart Museum of Art's Feast blog.  Feast also details the next installation of Enemy Kitchen: a collaborative food truck staffed by Iraq War veterans and chefs from Chicago's Iraqi community.

Art and food are two things that are hugely important to me (obviously!) so I thought this was a great place to end 2011. Not only is Rakowitz's work an example of the uniting power of food and art, it's also, for me, a reminder of why we advocate for art in the first place. Increased funding for artists and arts organizations means creative artistic minds such as his will continue to make moving and important works of art - ones that are beautiful, but also ones that might open minds. In fact, an Enemy Kitchen-style artwork could be a great way to encourage cultural understanding here at home in the current politically divisive climate. Any takers?

Thanks to all my readers this year. Happy Holidays and best wishes for a fruitful, artful, and peaceful New Year. I'll see you in 2012!

*If you are interested, the interview was from Marc Maron's podcast. Warning: profanity ahead!

Art at Recess: Better than Nothing, or Dangerous Precedent?

Recess at School No. 74, Baltimore, MD, 1969. Image via University of Baltimore Flickr(I liked this picture because it's much what my recesses looked like: no monkeybars or swings, just concrete!)

Do you remember recess when you were a kid? (I suppose if you're currently an elementary school teacher the memory might not be so distant.) Though I've never been of the athletic persuasion I remember feeling as though recess was sacred - even if it was spent inside due to rain or bad weather. But according to this New York Times article, some NYC schools are squeezing "enrichment" subjects (i.e., the arts) and extracurricular activities into recess time in order to make the most of the school day. I am quite obviously a big fan of the arts, but I can't imagine I would have taken kindly to any proposal that diminished an already short and sweet recess time. (Of course, I went to elementary school in the '90s, before No Child Left Behind and the ubiquity of standardized testing. Perhaps kids today are more used to it?) So what does this mean for the arts? Read on to find out Art Advocado's take.

On the plus side...

     First, let's look at the pros. Though it's unclear in the article whether recess arts time is the only arts education these students get in school, it is implied. So it's easy to think- better than nothing, right? And it's true. Some art education IS better than nothing. A recess art class or violin lesson could spark a passion that becomes a career in years to come- or at least give students an opportunity to use their brains in a different way and develop some critical thinking skills. And there are school districts where arts have been cut dramatically or totally for budgetary reasons, or for time constraints in the face of standardized tests. If recess arts are a value-added program - providing art education in schools where there previously was none - than such the better!

     Principals at schools with recess programming also emphasized student, rather than parent, choice, ensuring kids get to spend their recess time participating in an extra activity that really strikes their fancy, rather than what their mom or dad might think is best. I think this is hugely important too. To take recess away kids need to be willing, or an art class might suddenly seem like a punishment. And students interviewed for the article seemed very pleased with their participation in the programs too. Nine-year-old Elizabeth Katanov, who uses recess time to work on her computer skills, says giving up recess time is “definitely worth it.”

Are the arts just "hobby-type stuff"?

     Although art during recess might certainly be better than the alternative of no art, it does present some problems. Before I launch into the downsides of art during recess, I will say that I realize my objections are somewhat philosophical and don't always address the realities of running an elementary school, balancing the demands of parents, school boards, and standardized tests. But I think they are still worth mentioning.
     One Manhattan parent describes the recess enrichment/club time at his first-grader's school as “hobby-type stuff geared toward introducing kids to different things.” Here's where I wonder if recess arts could potentially be detrimental to the cause of art education in the long run. The phrase "hobby-type stuff" sounds innocuous and is, I'm sure, not meant to demean. But it does put art education - which should be a part of every curriculum, if you ask me - in the same category of, say, the movie club, which no one would deem necessary for a comprehensive education.
     There's also a downside to having students opt-in. For every student that seeks out the arts there might be some that stumble upon it and fall in love with it. In an opt-in system, those students may be less likely to find their way. And if you're reading this blog I probably don't have to rehash the importance of arts education on critical thinking and problem solving skills (just in case- my past posts on the subject can be found here). Though reaching some students is better than nothing, many students will remain deprived of an opportunity to develop these skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
     My final issue is with the framing of the New York Times' story. The headline implies that the recess arts/recess enrichments trend is going on at some of the more successful schools in the city. Though it's unclear if the programs are value-added or if they are replacing larger art programs, what if another school district imitates this idea as a money-saving technique and does implement it to replace a more comprehensive art education program? Perhaps it's far fetched but stranger things have happened.

     I don't want to end on such a Debbie Downer note, and in the end I think any arts in schools is, as Martha Stewart would say, "a good thing." And the problems that art-at-recess programs seek to address aren't going away. Short of bigger reforms that gets more art teachers in the schools or adds more hours to the school day (or both), I don't have a better solution. Teachers (and students!), what do you think? 

*On a programming note, from now on I will be posting closer to bi-weekly rather than every week (on account of that pesky day job). See you in two weeks for my last post of 2011!