Community Chat

[dooBdoo]

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@Lovethesea wrote:

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@dooBdoo wrote:

Great article and topic, @Lovethesea!

It's been shown again and again that the visual arts and the performing arts are beneficial to us.  I was always involved in music when I was growing up, and lucky enough to take some wonderful art classes in college, and many of my close friends are working artists.  I wish it could be given more importance and offered widely to children, so it could become an integral part of their lives.

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Thank you, @dooBdoo  I, too, was always involved in music while growing up... sang duets w/my younger brother on Christian radio,  at church and at various events, played the violin in the orchestra at school, sang in musicals and glee club in jr. high and high school, church choir into adulthood.  Majored in Fine Art in university and grad school, am a professional artist (previously a weaver and soft sculpture artist) and for the past 35 years work exclusively in drawing and painting, have taught drawing/painting as an artist-in-residence in elementary, middle and high schools, at art museums, at the college and university level as well as privately to youth and adults, have taught art history and graphic design at the university level.  As a child, I entertained myself by drawing from my imagination and always knew that I'd be an artist.

I completely agree with you regarding your comment:  

"I wish it could be given more importance and offered widely to children, so it could become an integral part of their lives."

I am so glad that I've been blessed to teach art to children and that many of them have gone on to become art majors/artists--one went on to study architecture at Harvard.

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For some reason, I didn't see this earlier, @Lovethesea.  What a wonderful background you have in the arts!  I do wish there could be more emphasis...  art can change children's lives, and adults' lives, too.

[Lovethesea]

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@dooBdoo wrote:

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@Lovethesea wrote:

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@dooBdoo wrote:

Great article and topic, @Lovethesea!

It's been shown again and again that the visual arts and the performing arts are beneficial to us.  I was always involved in music when I was growing up, and lucky enough to take some wonderful art classes in college, and many of my close friends are working artists.  I wish it could be given more importance and offered widely to children, so it could become an integral part of their lives.

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Thank you, @dooBdoo  I, too, was always involved in music while growing up... sang duets w/my younger brother on Christian radio,  at church and at various events, played the violin in the orchestra at school, sang in musicals and glee club in jr. high and high school, church choir into adulthood.  Majored in Fine Art in university and grad school, am a professional artist (previously a weaver and soft sculpture artist) and for the past 35 years work exclusively in drawing and painting, have taught drawing/painting as an artist-in-residence in elementary, middle and high schools, at art museums, at the college and university level as well as privately to youth and adults, have taught art history and graphic design at the university level.  As a child, I entertained myself by drawing from my imagination and always knew that I'd be an artist.

I completely agree with you regarding your comment:  

"I wish it could be given more importance and offered widely to children, so it could become an integral part of their lives."

I am so glad that I've been blessed to teach art to children and that many of them have gone on to become art majors/artists--one went on to study architecture at Harvard.

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For some reason, I didn't see this earlier, @Lovethesea.  What a wonderful background you have in the arts!  I do wish there could be more emphasis...  art can change children's lives, and adults' lives, too.

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@dooBdoo  Thank you! I completely agree with you that art can change lives.  Many of my private drawing/painting students over the years, particularly those in high school, were wonderful artists who weren't being challenged by their art teachers at school.  Often, their teachers weren't artists or actual art teachers, but were science teachers or skilled in some other discipline.  Being taught by an artist who encouraged them caused them to not only expand their abilities but also built their confidence.  It was wonderful to see this!