The importance of arts education to our industry and to society in general has been discussed in previous installments of this column, as well as chronicled in assorted SHOOT news stories. Suffice it to say that the visual effects/CG business and new-media sectors in the U.S. are grappling with what they still contend is a relatively shallow domestic talent pool, and many have turned to an admittedly stop-gap remedy—foreign workers through the H-1B visa process—to fill their hiring needs.
Most observers agree that the lasting, long-term solution is for the U.S. to develop a greater number of qualified homegrown artisans through improved arts and technical education programs. Arts education early on—from kindergarten through 12th grade—has been deemed pivotal by many experts in building a capable work force for the new millennium. And research has shown that engaging kids in the arts makes them feel connected to education; as a result, they do exponentially better in such other subjects as math, English, history and science.
So my interest was piqued when I heard about a congressional breakfast in Washington, D.C., last week (3/12), during Arts Advocacy Day 2002. This annual conference is organized by Americans for the Arts—a group of organizations that works to increase awareness about the importance of the arts—in cooperation with the Congressional Arts Caucus. Representatives from Americans for the Arts—including a contingent of high-profile actors and musicians—lobbied elected officials to support the arts.
On one level, that support is reflected in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Lobbyists said they’ve been encouraged by the Bush administration’s 2003 budget, which allocates some $117 million for the NEA. This, contends Americans for the Arts, makes a vital statement even though federal backing represents only a small part of overall arts funding. Federal involvement stimulates growth and offers high-profile leadership for the arts cause.
But the other key level that requires support is arts education in our schools. In a Los Angeles Times story about Arts Advocacy Day, rapper Chuck D stressed that it’s imperative that Congress help make arts education part of the core curriculum in public schools, on a par with academics. He’s quoted in the Times as saying that if kids "know about the arts and are introduced to them at a young age, they can then basically deal all over the world."
Arguably, the cutbacks in arts education in the U.S. during the 1980s and much of the ’90s due to shortfalls in public school budgets have put the nation at a competitive disadvantage in the global market to which he alluded. Countries with emphasis on the arts in their curriculum are seeing their students scoring better in academic tests and developing into highly qualified workers in arts-related fields. These encompass major sectors of our business, ranging from high-tech to computer animation and visual effects.
Thankfully, public/private-sector partnerships on local levels are proving viable—but more is needed. As reported in SHOOT, Inner-City Arts—a Los Angeles program founded in ’89 by a visual artist and a real estate entrepreneur—has gone on to gain grants, significant capital through fund-raising efforts, and a gift from the Community Redevelopment Agency. Inner City Arts’ mission is to enrich the lives of inner-city children through a total arts program. In partnership with the L.A. Unified School District, Inner-City Arts has been offering classes in ceramics, dance, music, visual art, animation and drama to hundreds of kids from a number of elementary schools in the downtown Los Angeles area. The goal is to have this program serve as a model for community-based programs in other cities.
