(9/2022) For several years, there has been debate on whether or not fine arts should be included in any core curriculum at schools across the globe. From recently including the ‘A’ from the common acronym "STEAM"—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics—many would argue that art does get the fine appreciation it deserves. However, there is some looming fear in high school students as the arts programs decline in funding.

Looking back to our high school days, there could be a class where one drags their feet, waiting until the last minute, dreading the prolonged period one has to spend on something not of their interest. It would be common for someone to have had this feeling at one point in his or her life. However, reflecting back on the past, has this class been of the fine arts? Has painting and drawing—activities that young children do on a hot summer day—been anyone’s dissatisfaction? According to Brown Daily Herald, many schools have recently cut art programs and funding, dropping 38.7% in twenty years in the United States alone. In the United Kingdom, there are plans to cut 50% of budgets for arts programs. But what does this mean for our students?

Natasha Irshad claims that "[w]e surround ourselves with art every day, whether it is listening to music, drawing, or even painting." So, with these budget cuts occurring, it is more likely that we will see an increase of demand for some creativity after the academics of the core curriculums. Students need art as much as they need literature, or mathematics, or sciences. Art is a way to express creativity. With expressing creativity can influence expressing emotions and feelings, which would be beneficial to the growth and development of a child. It can develop more "visual learning, motor skills, focus collaboration and decision making."

Not only are the fine arts beneficial to one’s creativity, but Shirley M. Tilghman, Princeton University President from 2001 to 2013, explains that "[b]y participating in the arts,… students develop cognitive abilities and forms of intelligence that complement training in other disciplines, and in some cases they discover talents and interests that will shape their careers and principal avocations." With Princeton being a university, one may argue that students can make the decision to apply to schools like Princeton that specialize in fine arts education. However, without the taste of art in high schools—a time where expression is crucial for an individual’s identity to be established and grow—how would students know that they want to pursue a college that offers degrees within the fine arts?

These are all valid questions, as the fine arts is more than just theatre, music, and painting. Each of these examples have subcategories within the branch of fine arts. Many people today still publish work in art, music, theatre, and in more modern technologies, such as digital creations and photography. These more modern approaches to the fine arts is called ‘contemporary.’ We refer to them as such because modern and contemporary are of two different time periods. Modern art refers to art created from the late 1800s to the late 1900s. Modern art has revolutionized the contemporary art we see today, as contemporary art not only focuses on painting and drawing, but instead, a lot more mediums, such as video art, object design, tech-enables artworks, graphic arts, and many more.

Art is not only of the recent time period, but instead, dates back thousands of years. In fact, the first recorded artistic representation were cave paintings. Author Sandra Larson believes that cave paintings "prove that humans were capable of abstraction and art reproductions, also being able to communicate through this language with others…" Art has a history that is rooted and connects generations from different millennium and communicates activities that would be lost due to the lack of a written vernacular. For example, ancient Egyptians usage of the hieroglyphics used symbols to reference letters and words of their language. Communicative skills are embedded within art. Larson believes that "[art] is a way in which people from all corners of the world can communicate directly or indirectly through artistic products and acts."

Theatrical productions, on the other hand, join together not only communicative language, but also a range of ages. Larson believes that theatre is "still one big passion and this activity is always bringing by people of all ages together in the same room." Family theatres mostly license the junior versions of shows, which are shortened compared to the lengthy originals. These junior productions allow children the responsibility of making a commitment and working hard to produce their own creative take on the character assigned to them by a director. In more professional theatre settings, cast members have the abilities to already establish character studies after a few rehearsals, putting on productions within weeks. For them, they are able to express the character’s feeling and get the audience to connect with them on an emotional level.

It is possible that some of these important details are lost when thinking of fine arts and theatre in particular. Larson explains how "[a]ccording to some allegations, technology is blamed for people’s lack of interest in certain forms of art, and here many will say that theatre is one category. Still, on the other side, some believe that art in society is still appreciated, and that people are not indifferent when emotions, ideas, and work are transposed into a play." However admirable the claims may be, Shakespeare’s finest works range from tragedies to comedies. He did not specialize in one particular genre, but instead, created a vast portfolio, and successfully produced works that resonate with actors years later.

These small extracurriculars could one day be someone’s living. Without the early exposure to the fine arts, one would not understand their passion, adoration, and commitment they have to a way of freedom of expression and creativity. The TATE Organization—a committee that specializes in the understanding and appreciation of British art from the 16th century to the contemporary time period—has also reviewed studies of the importance of art in curriculums across the United Kingdom. As well as stating several points made previously, the organization also claims that "[c]reativity is essential in a global economy that needs a workforce that is knowledgeable, imaginative, and innovative. Studying arts subjects also increases social mobility—encouraging and motivating students from low-income families to go into higher education. Studying the arts can also help with understanding, interpreting and negotiating the complexities and diversity of society."

There is nothing wrong with studying such complex works. Art is designed to make you feel a certain way. Much like a writer conveying emotion with the string of words they use to form paragraphs and prose with the fine arts is not much different. Colors, rhythms, poetic language, all deal with attempting to get the audience to feel a certain way about a subject, or a flower, or a high-pitched whistle. Creativity speaks to everyone differently, and with our own experiences builds character. We are able to express what we like or don’t like, what we want to wear, what we want our hairstyle to be. With creativity, we are able to make the choices we want to make and can understand why someone chooses different. As the TATE organization also explains, "[a]rts and cultural learning encourages awareness, empathy and appreciation of difference and diversity and the views of others." That is the importance of the fine arts education.