We Fight For Art
We are Changemakers. When asked to make a difference in the world, one immediately thinks of what they are most passionate about. For me (an my partner Jared), that was art. The power of art is often underestimated by the community and officials. Usually looked as something aesthetic, art is so much more than that. For one, there would be no development without art. Design, architecture, engineering, and invention define our future and are all rooted in art. Even moreso, art is what makes a community a community. When art is apparent in a town, city, or neighborhood, the inhabitants moods are positively affected, whether they are aware of it or not. This causes them to spend more time out and about or simply to be nicer to their neighbors which builds a sense of happy community. I (we) like this happy community and want to spread that where it is most lacking nationwide.
Due to budget cuts, art is often removed from American schools as people fail to understand its significance. Students are made to focus on purely the strict academic topics which leads to stress, frustration, and a lack of creativity necessary for growth. What superintendents don't understand is that the incorporation of just 30 minutes of art daily well pays itself off in the happiness, focus, and success of the students.
So, we wanted to get this message out. For people to not only know the positive effects of art, but to feel it as well. Together, Jared and I brainstormed and researched what we could do. Finally, we found Lux.
Due to budget cuts, art is often removed from American schools as people fail to understand its significance. Students are made to focus on purely the strict academic topics which leads to stress, frustration, and a lack of creativity necessary for growth. What superintendents don't understand is that the incorporation of just 30 minutes of art daily well pays itself off in the happiness, focus, and success of the students.
So, we wanted to get this message out. For people to not only know the positive effects of art, but to feel it as well. Together, Jared and I brainstormed and researched what we could do. Finally, we found Lux.
Lux Art Institute
Lux Art Institute is a center for art and education in Encinitas, California. Upon visiting the location, we found a variety of artists from ages 5 to 60 or 70. We also saw artists from all over the world in the Lux residential artist program. This program invites artists to live at the Lux location and create and display art in a new environment. This is amazing because it supports art and encourages it in communities. Jared and I traveled to Lux and interviewed one of their education directors, Lisa Davis where she told us some inside info about Lux and her perspective about art. We then volunteered to help out by cleaning, setting up, and preparing the location. Overall, it was a very inspiring experience and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to do so. For more about Lux and what we fight for, please read the page we created below:
Make A Difference - our action plan
Our next step in being Changemakers was to outreach into the community. How could we do this?, we asked. What will actually make a difference? These, we had to contemplate for a while but, finally, we came up with a plan. Why not give them art? So we decided we would. At a local farmers market, we set up a booth with a table for us and a large blackboard for the community. We had a jar of chalk and markers open for the community to use and we asked them to add to our "mural". If they cared, we discussed with them the impact of art and importance of it in the community in hopes of them taking it home with them. Below is a more detailed description of what we did: