Book by katherine bousse

About the Author Katie Bousse is a junior at Los Altos High School and a film student at Freestyle Academy.

She enjoys using Photoshop, watching funny movies and cooking all kinds of food. She also loves to go thrift shopping.

In her free time, Katie likes listening to 90’s music and petting her cat Kiki.

Arts for All Katie Bousse

Arts for All Katie Bousse

To everyone who helped me along the way

Above: Mouse scuplture, Left: student doing art

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Thanks to Freestyle Academy for making this book possible, my mom for letting me invade her classroom, the student for letting me take pictures of them, and my partner Hudson for helping me out along the way.

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Adove: Student showing her artwork

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Table of Contents Preface .................................. 8

Introduction ..................... 10 Finesse ................................. 13

Imagination ...................... 17

Determination ................... 20 Conclusion ........................... 26

Work Cited .......................... 29

Preface I

’ve always had a connection to art. My mom is an artist, and I’ve taken art classes all my life. While I’ve never been particularly great at painting or drawing, I’ve always enjoyed the process of doing art. When my mom became an art teacher 2 years ago, I was really interested in the process.

When we were first introduced to the documentary project, I had some ideas that weren’t quite fully formed.

I considered doing something about cats, or maybe thrift shopping, but those ideas were either too inaccessible or not complicated enough. I eventually realized that I had a great idea right in front of me. My mom was already an art teacher, and

Right: Two student collabrating

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she had connections to a lot of people. I actually cared about the topic and I knew there was issue about funding art, and that I could explore the advantages of having art classes in school. Art education was the perfect topic for me.

This project has really taught me the benefits of hard work and perseverance. There were some struggles along the way, but I didn’t give up. It was difficult to schedule interviews and skip the end of school to go take pictures, but in the end I’m glad that I kept going. I hope that people reading this book will end up feeling as passionate as I do about art education.

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Introduction

he’s here, she’s here!”, the second graders at Springer Elementary School shout as they crowd around the door.

Every child is waiting in anticipation for the art teacher to wheel her cart full of supplies into the classroom. Once the teacher is in the room, each student is eager to begin learning today’s lesson, asking excitedly, “What are we going to do today?”

Once every two weeks these young students get a break from science and math to unleash their creative side. They learn a new art concept during each lesson, like line, color or value. With each lesson, the students get a chance to try out new art media, like watercolors, oil pastels, clay sculpting, or line drawings. The art teacher also presents lessons where the students create artwork based on famous artists like Picasso or Joan Miro or they learn about art from other cultures, including India, Japan and Mexico. This scene isn’t common at most elementary schools across the country. At Springer, the kids only get 13 art lessons for the entire year. This may seem sparse, but most schools can only afford to bring art to their students 6 or 10 times during a school year, or sometimes never at all.

The reason kids at Springer have access to more art education than normal because of the dedicated work or teacher and administrators at the CSMA. The CSMA, or Community School of Music and Art, is a non-profit organization that provides art and music education to students in Santa Clara and

San Mateo County. They have camps, workshops, and classes so everyone from adults to toddlers in the Bay Area have access to art and music. One of the fundamental problems the CSMA is trying to solve is the lack of comprehensive art education, especially in schools. Many schools lack the funding for an onsite art teacher, so the CSMA sends art teachers to the school instead. This program, called Art4Schools, gives students from kindergarten to high school access to art classes.

This may seem unnecessary to some people. Why is art so important that students take away valuable time from their academic schedule to take an art class? Art classes don’t just teach kids to draw well, or paint pretty pictures. Art instruction is fundamental to improving fine motor skills, cognitive development, and math and language skills (Elpus). The process of making an art piece can teach problem solving and creative thinking, both skills that can be applied to almost any profession (Bullard). Subjects like math, science and history don’t offer the same creative outlets. In addition, students who regularly take art classes are proven to be more successful in school (How the Arts). However, art is often the first thing to be cut from a school budget when money is tight ( ). Many people don’t understand the immense benefits of teaching art to children and believe that math and science are the only important subjects a child learns at school.

Left: Springer Elementary School Art Teacher Lisa Martinez with her art class

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Finesse

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n order for a seedling to sprout and eventually grow into a tree, it needs a good foundation. Good soil, plenty of water and sunshine are all necessary for healthy growth.

Without these elements, the seed will die before it even has the chance to become a tree. Like plants, children need certain things to develop a strong foundation for their later years, and art is one of them. Creating art consistently from a young age helps develop fine motor skills and strengthens social development and emotional development.

Precision is an extremely important skill in art; being able to draw exactly what you want, and where you want it, is something that requires a lot of practice, but is usually necessary to achieve your creative vision. While a young child scribbling may not care about coloring inside the lines or making sure every stroke is just right, eventually they will want to create more detailed pictures that require

precise hand movements. Creating art from a young age helps develops fine motor skills and improves the precision of motion (Bullard). Those skills can be very useful when learning how to do basic but often difficult tasks, like tie shoes or button a coat. Even as they grow up, it can also translate into very neat handwriting or excelling in jobs that require handling small parts (ScienceDaily). Many scientific and technical fields involve precision, like surgery.

While learning to write well also requires small movements, the rigid rules makes children less enthusiastic. A study from the Department for Children, Schools and Families shows that kids would rather be able to express themselves creatively while practicing fine motor skills, and that they are more motivated to put effort into learning when they can be creative (Mark Making). Letting children draw a beautiful picture in order to practice precise movements is much more fun and effective than monotonous, repetitive activities.

In any school, there are all different types of kids. Some are outspoken and confident, and some are more shy and struggle to express themselves. Art provides an outlet for expression, and also a way to socialize with people around them. Children are talking and laughing with their friends while creating their art piece. Art makes school a level playing field for students who have trouble integrating with their peers, and is one of the only subjects at school that rely on sharing ideas and interacting with the people around you. This is shown to have many beneficial effects on the development of children. A study by the National Endowment of Arts, or NEA, has shown strong evidence that participation in the arts during early childhood has positive effects on social and emotional development. For example, toddlers participating in music classes were

reported to have more social skills and a higher level of independence (Menzer).

Karen LaShelle, the director of Creative Action, a nonprofit that supports the use of art to improve academic, social, and emotional development in kids, says, “Those who participate in the arts are more likely to do well in math and science and be involved in civics.

They benefit from social-emotional learning that helps them manage their emotions, be aware of themselves and succeed later in life� (Smits). Engaging in art as a child can have significant advantages, and all children deserve to take advantage of those benefits by having access to art programs.

One of the main purposes of the CSMA, and more specifically the Art4Schools program, is to spread these benefits with the community.

Many people think that learning art can only improve artistic skills, and don’t consider the other abilities their children gain from art. The is trying to spread the many skills art can bring to a student by offering easily accessible art classes for everyone in the community, and making sure that as many children as possible can have the advantage of art programs to take their education even further.

Right: Student drawing; Left: Lisa Martinez preparing clay

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Imagination 17

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hrough art it’s possible to create any feeling, or express any idea. To make something original and personal, you have to tap into your ingenuity. Art is one of the best ways to build creativity, and that creativity doesn’t just translate into a person being a better artist. Innovators have used their creativity to conceive of every invention we use today. Technological ingenuity is not only reserved for scientists. Though Leonardo Da Vinci is most famous for painting the Mona Lisa, he was also an extremely original thinker, brainstorming ideas from the helicopters to solar power.

Intelligence can’t just be measured by test scores or IQ. While immense knowledge is hard to achieve, being smart isn’t just knowing a lot of information. Being smart is being able to conquer obstacles using not only knowledge, but also with problem-solving skills and creativity. If you are presented with a problem you don’t know the answer to, or can’t solve easily, creativity will be the key that unlocks the puzzle. Similarly, if you are creating a piece of art, there are many times when you get stuck and can’t think of what to do next. You have to not only think creatively to come up with the best solution, but also see the multiple paths the problem could take. Students who have art education have a better grasp of creative problem solving than those who haven’t been as exposed to art (Science Daily). Those skills can be applied to any job, like writing code or designing a building.

Susan Cook, a board-certified art therapist, said “Art taps into student creativity, the way that computers don’t and the way that math and science don’t always tap into that creativity, whereas the art really can” (Cook).

Math and science taught in school generally doesn’t have room for much creativity. Everything has one concrete answer, or we are only taught one way to get to the final solution. Children are very curious, and want to explore their imagination. If a child grows up to be a mathematician, chances are they are going to come across a problem that has no known solution, and they will need to use creativity to find the answer. Art education doesn’t just teach students how to be artists, but also gives them the skills they need to excel in any subject (ScienceDaily). Susan Striker, the author of Young at Art, states, “Children are learning mathematics and scientific facts as they work with art materials; removing or subtracting clay as they model, adding on when they create constructions, experimenting with balance as they build” (Striker). Having comprehensive art education included in schools is the best way to provide those skills. The primary goal of the CSMA is to bring the art experience to as

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many student as possible, in order to give them a broad and creative education.

You might be wondering if all the positive impacts art has on young students actually ends up meaning anything when they grow up. Many studies show that art education in schools provides a lot of positive effects later on in life also.

Students with art education had better behavior, higher graduation rates and higher test scores. The Missouri Alliance for Arts Education found that schools districts with more arts participation reported an average graduation rate of 91.2, compared to an rate of 87.9 for districts with less in arts education (Scheuler). According to a study by the West Virginia Department of

“It really does help children explore other areas of their brain, and engage other areas of the brain that will help open other passageways for learning.�

- Kimberly Dickerson

Education, students who earn 2 or more arts credits during high school were about 1.5 times more likely to score at proficient levels for mathematics and reading/language arts. They were also about 1.5 times more likely to have scored at or above the average score on the ACT (Whisman). Another study by Kenneth Elpus, a professor of Music Education at University of Maryland, shows that children enrolled in art programs were less likely to get in trouble and more optimistic about getting into college (Elpus). The impacts of art cannot be understated, along with the importance of organizations like the .

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Determination

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hough the benefits of teaching art in schools have been proven time and time again, many students across the country still don’t get access to art programs. Schools are forced to cut back on extra programs because of a lack of funding, and art is usually the first to go. Many people see art as expendable, and more of a privilege rather than a necessity. School boards often choose science programs over art programs because parents feel their children will be more successful if they emphasize math and sciences.

It would be ideal to have equal opportunity for both programs, but often that isn’t possible because of government budget cuts. For example, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s new budget proposal would slash 9 billion dollars in funding from the Education Department. The proposal also would ax the Every Student Succeeds Act and eliminate the budget for after-school programs (Balingit). The intense budget cuts many schools are going through recently are so harmful that teachers across the country have gone on strike to protest salary cuts and dropping funding from the government.

Children who don’t have the benefits of art education are less successful than students who do, and because poorer school districts are often the first to cut budgets, this only widens the disparity between affluent and disadvantaged schools (Achievement Gap). Cutting the art budget doesn’t just denies children art programs, but also denies children advantages that art brings to a child.

“I feel like they’re not seeing the broader picture when they cut art programs. They need to see that it’s a basis, and a building block, as opposed to just another subject where someone’s going to put something on a canvas.” - Lisa Martinez Left: Ink painting

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One of the main goals of the CSMA and the Art4Schools program is too provide art education to less fortunate schools. They provide scholarships and reduced prices for in-school classes, along with scholarships for art camps and supplies. The CSMA helps fund many different art programs in order to spread the benefits of art to everyone, and many people only realize the importance of art once they have access to it. Springer Elementary School art teacher Lisa Martinez describes, “Last year when I taught at a school in Redwood City, several parents said that they had to choose something to cut, because there wasn’t enough money. The parents had to find a way to raise more money to keep in the school, because they really valued it! So I think the parents do really care a lot and want their kids to be exposed to art” (Martinez).

“Last year when I was in Redwood City, a couple of the parents were saying that they had to choose something to cut, because there wasn’t enough money, and they tried to raise more money to keep CSMA in the school, because they really valued it!” - Lisa Martinez Left: Woman at Springer art show

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Conclusion Top Left: Springer Art Show; Top Right: Child pointing at sculpture; Bottom Left: Student drawing; Bottom Right: Art class

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hen you see a flower or a tree, the eye is immediately drawn to the vibrant petals or lush leaves. Most people don’t even think about what lies below the soil. Every beautiful plant has roots that hide under the surface, providing support and nourishment. The roots are the foundation that helps the plant thrive, and that foundation is developed in its early years or growth. Like trees, children require a strong foundation to help them thrive. Children who thrive, and are confident and successful, will someday grow into confident and successful adults, and become scientists, doctors, innovators and world leaders. Every child has the potential to do great things, but having a comprehensive

Art also helps the development of children in many ways. It provides an outlet for expression, which can help kids who have trouble with emotion. It also aids kids who struggle with social engagements, because art is very collaborative. The art of drawing and creating itself helps develop fine motor skill and assists with precise movements. These developments should ideally happen during childhood, so having art classes in elementary schools is really important.

The CSMA is dedicated to solving a major lack of art education. Ever since federal budgets started reducing funding for school, they have provided classes so that every student has the opportunity to be creative. The

education can only improves those chances. Art can’t be left out of schools, because then a major part of education would be lacking.

Art isn’t just trivial and unimportant like many people seem to think. It provides many benefits beyond just being able to draw or paint well, like learning problem-solving, creativity, and the ability to be expressive can be applied to almost anything. Skills you learn in art can help you solve a math problem or design a building. Scientists have to be incredibly creative to solve problems, and they need to find innovative solutions by thinking outside the box. Art instruction encourages creativity and innovation, which is useful for almost every profession.

Art4Schools programs sends teacher to elementary schools, so schools don’t have to absorb all the costs of having art education. They make it easy for school to have art classes, and often provides scholarships for school in less affluent areas. They are an extremely important organization that is a major asset to our community, and hopefully one day they can expand to all over California, and maybe even all over the US.

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Work Cited “Art Could Help Create a Better ‘STEM’ Student.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 3 Dec. 2013, www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2013/12/131203091633.htm.

Balingit, Moriah, and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel. “Congress Rejects Much of Betsy DeVos’s Agenda in Spending Bill.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 24 Mar. 2018, Bullard, J. “How the Art Center Enhances Children’s Development.” Education.com, 20 July 2010, www.education.com/ reference/article/art-center-enhances-children-development/.

Cook, Susan. Personal interview. 11 March 2018.

Elpus, Kenneth. “Arts education and positive youth development: Cognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes of adolescents who study the arts.” National Endowment for the Arts (2013).

“How to Close the Achievement Gap: Arts Education.” Edutopia, www.edutopia.org/blog/art-education-closingachievement-gap-anne-obrien.

“Mark Making Matters – Young Children Making Meaning in All Areas of Learning and Development.” Foundation Years Martinez, Lisa. Personal interview. 4 March 2018.

Menzer, Melissa. The Arts in Early Childhood: Social and Emotional Benefits of Arts Participation: a Literature Review and Gap-analysis (2000-2015). National Endowment for the Arts, 2015.

Scheuler, Leslie. “Arts education makes a difference in Missouri schools.” Missouri Alliance for Arts Education (2010).

Smits, Jill Coody. “Perspective | Why All Parents Should Care about Arts Education.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 28 July 2017, Striker, Susan. Young at Art: Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem-Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art. H. Holt, 2001.

Whisman, A., and N. Hixson. “A cohort study of arts participation and academic performance.” Retrieved from Charleston, WV: West Virginia Department of Education, Division of Curriculum and Instructional Services, Office of Research (2012).

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About the Author Katie Bousse is a junior at Los Altos High School and a film student at Freestyle Academy.

She enjoys using Photoshop, watching funny movies and cooking all kinds of food. She also loves to go thrift shopping.

In her free time, Katie likes listening to 90’s music and petting her cat Kiki.

Arts for All Katie Bousse