Emily Cicchini
writer & arts advocate
Welcome!
Hello and thank you for your interest in my work.
I don't know how you found me, or why you are here. Maybe you have a feeling that arts are important for the well-being of the world, and particularly good for children and young adults. I heartily agree! And so do most Americans:
“93% of Americans agree that the arts are vital to providing a well rounded education for children. Additionally, 54 percent rated the importance of arts education as “ten” on a scale of one to ten.”
— Harris Poll
American Music Teacher, December 2005
Recently, there was a major national public awareness campaign for Arts Education which used the following slogan: “Arts. Ask for More.” But it is not enough alone to ask for it. We must take action to make it happen. We must “Make Arts Happen,” by whatever means we have available. We each have a role to play, maybe small, maybe large: this website will help you learn the landscape and how to play your part.
Why Should We Care About Arts Education?
When I say ART, I am not only saying visual art, and not only the performing and literary arts: but the act of making and sharing things that are meant to create the experience of knowing goodness, beauty, and/or truth in and about the world around us. Art is a verb, it is a point of view. It is a discipline. It is a different way of knowing.
Good, high-quality arts education is a continuum of experiences that begin in early childhood and continue throughout a lifetime. Perhaps that sounds lofty: but in reality, we are all exposed to the arts from morning to night, every single day. From children’s story books, to televisions shows, to the radio, we have access to creative literature, drama, and music and creative movement pretty much 24/7. The problem is that we don’t consciously recognize it as such, and we don’t acknowledge that there is an artistic process going on all around us, that we actively participate in, all the time.
Many smart people have tried to define the artistic process: for me, it's essentially about observation, creation, and response:
- watching
- making
- sharing
It's a beautiful, enduring cycle that gets deeper and more meaningful the more you consciously practice it.
Most of the art that I make now-a-days is somehow related to education. And to me, there is nothing more natural than this partnership: Art, like all the other disciplines, is a legitimate path towards knowledge: both of ourselves, and the world(s) around us.
What Needs To Be Done?
Here are some ideas if you think arts are important and want to help:
- Ask your schools, colleges, and universities to offer and support more art.
- Advocate that Music, Drama, Dance, and Visual Art are ALL including in formal standards and performance and portfolio-based testing in public schools.
- Provide donations of time and financial support to non-profit arts groups that work in education.
- If you are an artist, gear some of your work to child and youth audiences and community-based settings.
A Final Note
You can particpate in the arts: just like me, and just like everyone else. We may not all be rich or famous, but we can all make things and/or appreciate them being made. We are creative beings. And this is beautiful and sacred. This is the best part of being human.
Go engage in the arts today!
© 2008 Emily Cicchini | Original design by Andreas Viklund.