My quilt block highlights the lack of appreciation of the arts in America. The arts have played an important role in American history and culture since the country was first developing. Music and visual art have both been used to express ideas and bring people together, according to Makridis, Christos A., and Soula Parassidis. “Reclaiming Arts and Culture in Education: The Fundamental Importance of the Fine Arts.” Over 90 percent of Americans believe arts are important for the education system, and 80 percent believe adults should continue to access arts education outside school”(Makridis et al).  However, even though the arts have had such a large influence on American society, they are often not given the same level of appreciation or importance as other subjects. According to the article by Paglia, Camille. “Religion and the Arts in America.” “The position of the fine arts in America has rarely been secure. This is a practical, commercial nation where the arts have often been seen as wasteful, frivolous, or unmanly. This is especially noticeable in education, where arts programs are sometimes treated as less necessary than subjects such as math, science, and English. According to the Florida Charter School Alliance. “59% of the art cuts in schools have become permanent” (flordia charter). Indigenous peoples used art, music, dance, and storytelling to pass down traditions and history. These forms of expression were important parts of their communities and were used to teach younger generations. European settlers also brought their own artistic traditions, including music, painting, theater, and literature. As different cultures came together in America, they influenced one another and helped create the wide variety of American art that exists today. As technology developed, the arts became an even larger part of everyday American life. Despite their importance, the arts are often considered less practical than other areas of education. Schools frequently place greater emphasis on subjects that can be easily measured through standardized tests. Math, science, and English are often connected directly to college and career preparation, while music, theater, and visual art can be viewed as electives or extracurricular activities. When schools face financial problems, arts programs may be among the programs that receive less funding or are reduced. According to Bodilly, Susan J., Catherine H. Augustine, and Laura Zakaras, “In general, each school district’s budget and time constraints determined whether arts education was offered to students”(Bodilly et al). This lack of appreciation can affect students in many ways. Studies from the National Endowment for the Arts link this shift directly to a long-term decline in school-based arts learning. “Fewer than 20 states include the arts as a core functional metric in their educational accountability systems”(National Endowment). The arts provide opportunities for students to develop creativity, communication, teamwork, confidence, and problem-solving skills. For example, students involved in music must learn how to listen to others and work together. Theater students develop communication and public speaking skills, while visual artists learn how to communicate ideas through images and design. These skills can be useful in almost any career, even if they are not measured by a standardized test. The arts can also provide students with a way to express themselves. Not every student learns or communicates in the same way. Some students may struggle to explain their thoughts through traditional school assignments but may be able to express themselves through music, drawing, acting, or another form of art. Having access to the arts can give students a place where they feel successful, accepted, and connected to other people. Another problem is that people often appreciate the finished product without appreciating the work required to create it. A concert may only last a few hours, but musicians can spend months practicing for it. A play may only be performed for a few nights, but actors and crew members can spend weeks preparing. Artists can spend countless hours developing a single piece. The amount of time and effort involved in the arts is often overlooked because audiences only see the final result. The problem is not that Americans do not enjoy the arts. Music is listened to every day, movies are watched by millions of people, and concerts, museums, sporting events, theater performances, and other forms of entertainment remain popular. The issue is that enjoying the arts is different from recognizing their value. People may spend hours listening to music or watching movies but still believe that the people who create those things are not contributing something important to society. The arts should not have to compete with subjects such as math and science to prove that they are valuable. Education should prepare students for careers, but it should also prepare them to communicate, think creatively, understand different perspectives, and participate in their communities. The arts help develop these abilities while also preserving history and culture. America has a long history of being shaped by the arts. From Indigenous storytelling and early American traditions to jazz, blues, rock, hip-hop, theater, visual art, and modern forms of digital creativity, the arts have helped define American culture. One of the colors that I incorporated into this quilt is purple. The reason behind this is the number of cuts that the Cornell music department faced in the previous academic year. One of my personal artistic choices that I made with this quilt is the use of tattered and jagged edges. These edges symbolize how America is tattered and broken without music and the arts to hold it together. Without the arts, America loses a crucial part of its history. 

Citations 

“Arts Education in America : What the Declines Mean for Arts Participation.” National Endowment for the Arts, www.arts.gov/impact/research/publications/arts-education-america-what-declines-mean-arts-participation. Accessed 4 Sept. 2026.

“Art Programs Being Cut From Schools Statistics Reveal Crisis.” 2026. FCSA - Florida Charter School Alliance. July 23. 

https://flcharterschool.org/why-school-art-programs-are-disappearing-and-what-the-data-says/.

Bodilly, Susan J., Catherine H. Augustine, and Laura Zakaras. “The Evolving Ecology of Arts Education.” In Revitalizing Arts Education Through Community-Wide Coordination, 1st ed. RAND Corporation, 2008. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/mg702wf.9.

Makridis, Christos A., and Soula Parassidis. “Reclaiming Arts and Culture in Education: The Fundamental Importance of the Fine Arts.” In Sketching a New Conservative Education Agenda: 2021–25, edited by Frederick M. Hess and Anna Low. American Enterprise Institute, 2025. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep70100.8.

Paglia, Camille. “Religion and the Arts in America.” Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics 15, no. 1 (2007): 1–20. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29737324.