The Choice is Art
Exposure to the Arts means
Higher SAT Scores
Exposure to the Arts means
Increased School Attendance
Exposure to the Arts means
Lower Dropout Rates
Did You Know?
Arizona students receive 55 minutes of music and visual arts instruction per week, in contrast to dance and theatre, which never exceed an average of 15 minutes per week. – Arizona Arts Education Census.
Children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory compared to children who do not receive musical training. – Dr. Laurel Trainor, McMaster University, 2006.
Only 37% of Arizona schools provide students with opportunities to learn from Artists in Residence. – Arizona Arts Education Census Project, 2010.
“You can’t teach kids algebra if they don’t want to live. And art appeals to life. It appeals to the part of the brain where imagination lives.” – William Strickland, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh.
Arizona schools, on average, spend less than half a penny a day per student on arts supplies. – Arizona Arts Education Census Project, 2010.
Students who participate in the arts are provided with safe spaces for physical and creative security. – Powerful Voices: Developing High-Impact Arts Programs for Teens, Surdna Foundation, 2002.
Arts participants demonstrate increased ability to express anger appropriately, communicate effectively and work cooperatively with others. – Youth ARTS Development Project, Department of Justice, 2000.
For young people, quality high school speech/theatre programming develops heightened historic, cultural and social awareness through adulthood. – McCammon and Saldaña, Lifelong Impact, 2010.
The Choice is Art Campaign
Aligned and embedded within the Arts Commission’s strategic plan, The Choice is Art is a 4-year promotional campaign for the arts in Arizona, meant to:
- Advance the cultural conversation in Arizona,
- Grow public understanding about the broad-spectrum benefits of arts programs and increase arts participation in Arizona communities, and
- Fortify a privately-held arts endowment whose funds can be utilized in support of statewide arts programs. This endowment, Arizona ArtShare, was established in 1996 and is held by the Arizona Community Foundation.
The Choice is Art’s first focus is the importance of access to arts education. Over four years the campaign will evolve to address the following: the significant contributions of Arizona artists and arts professionals, the positive impact of the arts on community health and livability, the broad economic impact of the arts and culture sector, and the singular role of the arts in promoting cultural understanding.
