Is it possible you’ve been bombarded with numbers about the election lately? Here are some numbers I bet you haven’t seen.
Images from Arts for EveryBody Instagram account
Did you know…
American adults who attend art museums or live arts performances are 20%
more likely to vote than non-attendees.
4 OUT OF 5 young adults were more likely to vote after engaging in the arts.
97% of arts administrators vote.
Cities with high concentrations of art have increased civic engagement.
Arts participants are more than TWICE AS LIKELY
to volunteer in their communities, independent of education, age, gender or ethnicity .
These numbers, shared on the Arts for EveryBody Instagram account, come from The Arts Impact Explorer, an initiative of Americans for the Arts. The Arts Impact Explorer is an interactive tool that provides factual information on how the arts are interconnected with every aspect of community life. Here’s a screenshot from their website. Visit this page to use it yourself and see how it works. Try clicking on the “Political Activation” category.
Image from Americans for the Arts website
Remember these words?
President Barack Obama - - "The arts are central to who we are as a people, and they are central to the success of our kids. This is not an afterthought. This is not something you do because it's kind of nice to do. It is necessary for these young people to succeed that we promote the arts."
First Lady Michelle Obama - - "The bottom line here is very clear: Arts education isn't something we add on after we've achieved other priorities, like raising test scores and getting kids into college. It's actually critical for achieving those priorities in the first place."
While you’ve probably grown used to seeing me advocate for Arts Education, I want to widen my scope today to include the area of learning which includes the arts: the humanities.
From an academic standpoint, the humanities include the study of history, philosophy and religion, modern and ancient languages and literatures, fine and performing arts, media and cultural studies, and other fields…. Put simply, the humanities help us understand and interpret the human experience, as individuals and societies. - - What Are the Humanities? What do they “do”? Why are they so important?, National Humanities Center
There has been a growing trend in the US to do away with humanities programs at the college level. As the expense and frequent indebtedness of a college education has grown, it has been accompanied by the pressure to choose fields of study which that have a concrete connection to justifying the expense. Academic institutions respond by cutting the programs that aren’t “making money”. This narrows the range of possibilities for each successive incoming class of students.
It’s important to understand that this doesn’t simply mean that they are eliminating “majors” when they do this. They are eliminating the ability of students to explore and make connections, a hallmark of the liberal arts college experience. By taking away introductory courses and electives they are preventing their students from having the power to choose subjects which could very possibly impact how they look at the world and even shape future decisions.
Why is this important?
Humanities education encourages students to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. And, as the humanities offer insight into nearly every aspect of life, they have been considered a core element of a well-rounded education since ancient times. - - National Humanities Center
Studying topics within the humanities (this includes the arts, remember) provides us with the tools to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. Additionally, it fosters the ability to look at things from different points of view, which, in turn, develops empathy. All of these things are crucial in becoming active and informed in civic engagement. They contribute to building better informed and more consistent voters plus they are strong motivators for community engagement and volunteering.
Let’s say that again, shall we?
Human brains are not merely overgrown vending machines with neat rows of separated silos of products waiting to be purchased. So much about how we learn and who we are is an amazing interconnected web of possibilities. To devalue and eliminate the humanities cuts us off from a profound element of who we are.
It also weakens our ability to participate in democracy or even to understand it.
Have you voted yet?
*****
LeVar Burton won a medal from the National Endowment of the Humanities this week. I’m pretty sure that he’s a regular voter.
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