A primary/elementary art program would serve as platform for those who, in the future, might seriously pursue a career in art. The value of an art program rests more in its ability to provide an experience where there are no right answers. Art education allows a child to rely on their own ideas, to have faith in their own choices, and to know they are respected as an individual. There is something unchangeably wonderful for the child and her/his parents to see the child’s matted artwork on display. The work does not look like a variation of all the others in an art show.
All parents know that their children may voice more than one preference for a vocation “when they grow up.” Being able to express a plan visually would help any one making a proposal in any endeavor. Art making can be an avocation as well as a vocation.
The individual must declare that as his/her intention and work towards making it happen. On some level, an artist is self employed. More than anything else, the person must have a strong belief in their abilities, even when creating within a group. The answer to the question created by this blog becomes clear if it is asked of all disciplines. If a child learns to express ideas in writing, will she/he become an author or poet? Will all math students become mathematicians? If my son studies science will he want to be a zoologist, an astronomer, a doctor? If I teach my child to cook will she become a chef? Children know their strengths and interests if we allow and honor it.
The more important question is: What kind of a society would we have without artists, musicians, dancers, writers, film makers, actors, and people to appreciate and support their efforts that enrich our lives and mirror back to us our culture?