Art Lacks Community Respect

McKelvey Courtney Collins, Reporter

Many students at the school take a form of art class. Some even wish to pursue a career in the arts. Unfortunately, this is often looked down upon in the community. People are often discouraged from pursuing a career in the arts.

Many think that the arts are a waste of time and energy, and that it is impossible to get a paying job in the arts. This is a mistaken notion based on traditional ideas on what a job should be.

People are often taught from a young age that the only viable careers are jobs such as teachers, doctors, policemen, firemen, and the like. Even from kindergarten, kids are encouraged to choose a simple career because they are usually perceived to be “more useful” than others. While there is no refuting their usefulness to society, it must be recognized that art careers are just as beneficial to the community.

In today’s society, the arts are extremely important to people’s way of life. Without art, there would be no television, no ads displayed on buildings, no books, no architecture, and no music. If America does not have art, then it loses an important piece of its culture.

It is true that there is a lot of competition in the world of art. However, in modern society,  competition is present in almost every aspect of life, from sports to getting any kind of job. Each job applicant has to compete with others who want the same position in every kind of profession.

Getting a job in the arts is nowhere near impossible. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, the arts has only a six percent unemployment rate, as of September 2016, and most artists live at a relatively middle class income.

Arts education is also extremely beneficial to young people. According to Murray State University Department of Art and Design chair Zbynek Smetana, art boosts students’ creativity, makes them more disciplined and focused, and makes them more flexible and resourceful.

“It’s made it easier to connect with people. When you act, you have to know how to switch emotions and how to feel the emotion onstage, and so, knowing that, you know how to read people,” said freshman and drama club member Penelope Peach. “You can just look at someone and just understand what might be going on with them.”

“There’s proof that if you don’t have the arts, you lose something in every school,” said theater teacher Linda Gorman. “There’s so many kids who don’t do sports, and the only out they have is the arts. It’s the soul of the school, as far as I’m concerned.”

The importance of art to the community and society in general is too often understated and undervalued. The lack of respect for the arts is something that is still ingrained in communities today.