Come have some fun while helping the Arts Center to bring quality arts education programs to area youth!
Every year, The Arts Center struggles with finding a new, different and creative theme for its annual Gala Fundraiser. It’s often tied to pop culture, nationality or cuisine and always aims to conjure up an evening of fun and excitement. Those themes that I can remember have been Beijing Fling, Shake Your Tail Feathers, Salsa Noche, Something Spectacular, An Oscar Evening, Golf for the Arts, A Tropical Evening, and Outside the Box.
This year the theme is unique, and if you really think about it, the message it conveys is important. THE ARTS…MORE THAN JUST TALK. Its a theme that brings what The Jamestown Arts Center does to the forefront. In other words, the Arts are important and the work the Arts Center does is important. Arts After School, 2nd Saturday Classes, Family Workshops and Resident Artists placed in area schools provide students invaluable skills to use in their futures.
“Tomorrow’s workforce – and especially its leaders – will need broad abilities beyond technical skills. There will be a demand for people who are creative, analytical, disciplined, and self-confident – people who can solve problems, communicate ideas and be sensitive to the world around them.”
-Joyce Hergenhan, President, GE Fund
A new s
tudy, just released by GE Fund/MacArthur Foundation compiles the results of seven major arts education research projects and finds:
- Students with high levels of arts participation outperform “arts-poor” students on virtually every measure.
- The arts have a measurable impact on students in “high-poverty” and urban settings.
- The arts in after school programs guide disadvantaged youth toward positive behaviors and goals.
- Learning through the arts has significant effects on learning in other domains.
- Arts experiences enhance “critical thinking” abilities and outcomes.
- The arts enable educators to reach students in effective ways.
To learn more, consult the following two national organization’s websites where you can download and read more about the value of the arts.
The arts are indeed more than just talk. They make our existence mean something.