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Arts. Education. Youth Development.
As we reflect on March,
Youth Arts Month, we want to underscore the importance of arts education.
Arts education empowers children to strengthen their creativity, and grow into not just educated adults, but adults with tools and understanding necessary to leverage the information they’ve learned.
Imagine a World Without the Arts: An excerpt from Chris Gleason, Arts & Creativity Consultant at the Department of Public Instruction
No, really—pause for a moment and envision a world devoid of music, dance, visual art, media, or theatre. A world stripped of creativity, expression, and the very essence of human connection. It’s an unsettling thought, isn’t it? Because, in truth, it is impossible to separate the arts from our lived experience. The arts are not merely an accessory to education—they are woven into the very fabric of what it means to be human.
Yet, despite this undeniable truth, the arts continue to be undervalued in our educational system. The evidence is overwhelming, but you need only ask an arts educator one simple question: Do you have too much time with your students? The answer will be a resounding, "No."
Over my twenty-five years teaching in Wisconsin’s public schools, I witnessed firsthand the steady erosion of instructional time for the arts. In my final years in the classroom, students spent more time in a non-curricular homeroom than in any elective. And this is not an isolated occurrence—it’s a systemic issue unfolding in schools across the state.
In education, time is currency. The way we allocate instructional minutes sends a clear message—not just to educators, but to students—about what we value. By narrowing our definition of what it means to be prepared for the future, we are shortchanging the very skills that foster creativity, critical thinking, and human expression.
As we celebrate Arts Month, I urge us all to reflect on what it truly means to be a well-rounded individual. Let’s challenge the trend of diminishing arts education. The arts matter—not because they boost standardized test scores, but because they make us whole.
Arts Education:
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Builds well-rounded individuals;
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Broadens our understanding and appreciation of other cultures and histories;
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Supports social and emotional development;
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Builds empathy, reduces intolerance, and generates acceptance of others;
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Improves school engagement and culture;
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Develops valuable life and career skills; and
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Strengthens community and civic engagement.
(American Academy of Arts & Sciences)
Learn More About Art Education
The National Endowment for the Arts has gathered a number of studies that demonstrate the value of
embedding artistic practice into early childhood education, establishing a positive relationship between arts participation and the development of social and emotional skills in early childhood.The State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) created the
Customized Arts Learning (CAL) toolkit, which supports personalized learning in arts education and promotes strength-based instructional practice.
Students who study the arts have better attendance, lower dropout rates and higher scores on standardized tests of reading and mathematics. The arts also teach perseverance and collaboration and give students a leg up in workforce preparation, preparing students to be productive and innovative employees. (National Assembly of State Arts Agencies)
The National Core Arts Standards also provides a framework for
advancing students’ artistic understanding, providing that within each stage of development, students learn to:
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Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
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Organize and develop ideas and work
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Refine and complete artistic work
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Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation
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Develop and refine artistic work for presentation
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Convey meaning through the presentation
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Perceive and analyze artistic work
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Interpret intent and meaning
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Apply criteria to evaluate work
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Make art by synthesizing and relating knowledge and personal experiences
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Deepen understanding by relating artistic ideas to societal, historical, and cultural contexts
Careers?
There are hundreds of career paths within the arts, too. From well known careers like actor or musician, to naval architect and blacksmith, a career in the arts isn’t constricting.
The Art Career Project and the
New York Foundation for the Arts are two great resources to check out if you want to see what a career within the arts can look like... spoiler alert, it's more than just painting!
Support Wisconsin's Young Artists
Every year, the Wisconsin Art Education Association (WAEA) organizes 6 regional youth art shows, which culminate in a statewide youth art show at the end of the month. WAEA and the East Towne Mall extend an invitation to the 2026 State Youth Art Month Exhibit. From Sunday, March 1st through Friday, March 27, 2026, artworks from schools across the state of Wisconsin are exhibited at the East Towne Mall in Madison, WI. About 600 youth (preK-12th grade) artworks are displayed within one of the stores within the mall, and artwork is on view during mall hours.
The statewide celebration will take place on Friday, March 27th, and includes the 600 youth artworks, fan mail to young artists, five different make & takes, and a closing ceremony. Featured speakers will include dignitaries, Katie Crawley - Madison Deputy Mayor, George Tzougros - Executive Director of Wisconsin Arts Board. The featured artist speaker is Ike Wynter, reclaimed wood artist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more information, visit WAEA.