Art in Education

The Beaverton Arts Commission is very excited about a new arts initiative in the area—Arts Partners. This program operates under the general leadership of The Regional Arts and Culture Council, and aims to bring access and equity in arts education to all k-8 students in the Portland Metropolitan Area.

We support this initiative and others like it because we believe they can contribute significantly to the development of a healthier, more productive, and more creative society. We have substantial reasons for maintaining this belief.

For example, according to a recent article, “If your teen-agers want to be in the high school band or drama club, let them. High School students who take music lessons and join theatre groups do better than other students in math, reading, history, geography and citizenship”, says a study of Education Department data.

“If young Americans are to succeed and to contribute to what Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan describes as our ‘economy of ideas’, they will need an education that develops imaginative, flexible and tough-minded thinking.” Education Secretary Richard Riley said in a message accompanying the foundation-funded study. “The arts powerfully nurture the ability to think in this manner. Get your kids involved in the arts!”

Regional Arts and Culture Council—Local Arts Opportunities for Youth

Portland Metro—Arts Partners Initiative

Art Education Summit Report (PDF)

Art in Education

Opportunities