Forum looks at art education in county
Let art do its part. That was the message state officials took away from a community forum Wednesday evening on art education in Yuma County.
Parents, art educators, artists and others gave input to the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Arts Advisory and Action Committee, headed by Dustin Loehr, an arts education specialist with the state education department, at the Littlewood Fine Art & Community CoOp on 2nd Avenue.
The committee has been traveling the state seeking input on arts education, and the convening is one of 10 such community conversations happening. Other conversations are scheduled for Flagstaff, Prescott, South Tucson, Tucson, Peoria, Mesa, Globe-Miami, Coolidge and Phoenix.
“Art teachers are changing lives every single day, and art changes lives in every single way, and we’re really really excited to support that work,” Loehr said.
Wednesday’s forum was a follow-up to a conversation that happened in Yuma last November, in which participants spoke about the need for and impact of art education in Yuma County.
“We need to demonstrate the value of art in our community,” said Linda Morgan, of Visit Yuma, which promotes tourism for the city of Yuma.
The discussion Wednesday centered on finding ways to influence decision makers, said Anastasia Freyermuth, a grant writer with the arts commission.
Loehr noted that Yuma didn’t seem to have some of the challenges other areas of the state have had in hiring and retaining art educators, but funding is always a challenge.
Audience members noted that Yuma’s art scene seems to lack an overarching body, and suggested that an alliance between various artists groups and mediums might help influence decisions made in local schools and the community.
Lia Littlewood, co-owner of the co-op with husband Isaac and her twin sister Stefanie, said that studies show the impact of art education on students. She noted Yuma’s artists have a unique relationship with the community here.
Ceramics artists and several art educators at the forum pointed out that the basic principles of art and design often are crucial to “real-world” careers, such as for architects and graphic designers.
Poet Geneah Berrian said that art has psychological healing aspects that can help children and teens learn to cope with life.
Loehr said the forum was not the only way for the public to participate. A survey about the state of the arts in Arizona will be online later this spring.
For art educators interested in forming an alliance, Littlewood suggested the co-op as a starting point. The Yuma Area Art Educators Association, which has its annual art auction March 24, is also keen on the idea, said member Kari Nelson.
Several upcoming events will showcase what art has done for students in the Yuma community, said Nelson, a ceramics instructor at Kofa High who implemented Advanced Placement Ceramics at the school. Nelson has had students who have passed the rigorous review required to get college-level credit for the course, including one who has earned a top art scholarship.
Kofa AP Ceramics and other top student artists will show off their work at the “Senior Showcase” May 11 at the school’s auditorium.