Glastonbury Public Schools
Art Curriculum
There is an abundance of Art Education literature and educational research with information and data that highlights the value of Art in Education. The statements below are a selected few that represent the values we, the Art Department of Glastonbury Schools, uphold… statements that embody our comprehensive approach to art education.
Art provides unique opportunities to explore and develop ways of knowing, doing, and being. As such, art, as a core subject, …is a critical component in the development of every child and in multiple ways permeates every aspect of human existence.
–U.S. Department of Education
Art helps students develop key “habits of mind” that include: higher order thinking, creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to pose and solve problems, self-discipline, and self-confidence. These skills are necessary for success in art, and once learned, can translate to success in other areas of school and life.
–Kent Sidel, University of Cincinnati
Art offers a way of understanding oneself and it enables connections between art and our own culture and the cultures of diverse peoples.
–Eliot Eisner, Stanford University
Art has become the next literacy-or the fourth R. The age of art has arrived, leaving behind the text-centric world that has guided us for so long. For that reason, art should be included in the common experience of school for all students, not just those who plan to major in art and design.
–Jason Ohler, Director of Educational Technology, University of Alaska Southeast
Art must occupy a significant place in the educational system if that system is truly dedicated to exploring and developing the human intellect.
-Phillip Dunn, Art Educator
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
–Albert Einstein