“The arts give a generation the ability to define its own time. It seems to me on a very grassroots level, the future survival of the arts in this country may have something to do with the artists, playwrights, and dancers opening their worlds to the next generation.” Wendy Wasserstein, Playwright

Why Arts Learning?

From the earliest times, humans have communicated their most profound thoughts and deepest feelings through music, dance, drama, and art. The discovery of the Lascaux Cave paintings in France, for instance, conveyed insights into daily life in the Paleolithic Age, as well as the hopes and aspirations of those early artists.

Today, the arts—whether conveyed in cyberspace or in the more traditional venues of the concert hall, theater, museum, or local arts center— remain essential to us as individuals and as a society. They are the means by which we make sense of the world and our individual and collective experiences in it. They help us appreciate our rich cultural heritage in the United States and the cultures of others throughout the world. It is essential that our children and youth experience the arts at an early age, and often.

For all these reasons, the National Endowment for the Arts was charged in its enabling legislation to “increase accessibility to the arts through providing education to all Americans, including diverse cultures, urban and rural populations by encouraging and developing quality education in the arts at all levels.” The Arts Endowment has not only maintained support for arts education programs and projects in and outside of schools, but has provided vision and leadership in the federal sector and among arts, education, business, and government organizations to develop and sustain an agenda for arts education improvement.

Arts Education For All Children and Youth

The Arts Endowment maintains that all children, not only those considered artistically talented, deserve a comprehensive education in the arts, one that enables them to create, perform, and communicate in and through artistic media. The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in January 2002, affirmed that the arts be considered a “core academic subject,” making it possible for children to receive the arts education they deserve and for schools to receive federal funds from national programs—such as teacher training, school reform, or technology programs—that target core academic subjects.

The Arts Endowment supports schools that provide sequential, curriculum- based arts instruction, beginning in the earliest years—prior to kindergarten—and continuing through high school. To ensure quality in teaching and learning, students must have qualified teachers as well as regular engagement with excellent works of art and the artists themselves.

Finally, all students should strive to achieve high levels of knowledge and skills in the arts.

The Arts Endowment supports projects that provide children, beginning as early as the pre-school years, with the opportunity to learn by actual experience the techniques of music-making and the skills of drawing, painting, sculpting, and dance movement. Children should experience the techniques of writing poetry and the art of acting and play-making. This builds appreciation for the skill, discipline, and sacrifice necessary for achievement. It helps children develop admiration for the skills and hard work of others.

This two-pronged approach acquaints children with their artistic heritage, stimulates imagination, engages the intellect, produces physical skill, and enhances curiosity and joy. Such projects may identify talent and help nurture it as well as build passionate, engaged audiences.

Increasingly, opportunities for students to learn in the arts also are available through after-school programs, many of which are supported in part by the 21st Century Community Learning Center funds from the Department of Education. These programs offer excellent opportunities for museums, performing arts centers, and other community arts organizations to partner with schools and provide high-quality learning experiences in both the school environment and the arts venues of a community.

The Arts Endowment supports these experiences, which must always enhance, not replace, the regular curricular offerings in the arts for the students who participate.

Beyond the arts education programs associated with schools, children and youth engage in arts learning offered by community organizations in a variety of settings beyond the classroom. The Arts Endowment supports such community-based programs because they supplement school-based arts learning and because the arts should be a vital aspect of students’ lives outside of school. ...(Introduction)

Download Learning Through the Arts: A Guide to the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Education

PDF format, 830KB, 52Pages.

Learning through the Arts was published by:
National Endowment for the Arts, Office of Communications
Mark D. Weinberg, Director
Katherine L. Wood, Media and Publications Manager
Don Ball, Editor
Designed by: Marti Betz Design, Annapolis, MD
Thanks to Doug Herbert for his contributions to the text, design, and overall concept of the publication. Thanks also to Molly Gaston Johnson, Lee Kessler, and Patrice Walker Powell for their editorial contributions, Nikol Plass for initial research, and Judith Zwolak for proofreading.

A guide to the NEA's Arts Learning initiatives includes brief descriptions of our arts learning grants, partnerships, and programs; a thumbnail history of the Endowment's involvement in arts education research; a section on successful projects and programs that the NEA has supported; and a list of arts learning partners and organizations.

Altogether, the publication demonstrates the Endowment's continued commitment to arts learning for children and youth.

Visit The National Endowment for the Arts Official Website

The National Endowment for the Arts provides national recognition and support to significant projects of artistic excellence, thus preserving and enhancing our nation’s diverse cultural heritage.

The Endowment was created by Congress and established in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. This public investment in the nation’s cultural life has resulted in both new and classic works of art reaching every corner of America.

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