It is apparent that in any given Philly public school, you will have an abundance of creative students with fresh ideas whether it be in visual arts, writing, or music. But unfortunately, in the School District of Philadelphia, there seems to be a shortage in funds to support the arts. Schools have gone years without support for the arts. Many public schools suffer from limited art supplies and art teachers. Philadelphia’s youth cannot thrive without the arts. Thomas Merton said it best: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” With Philadelphia’s poverty rate at 25.7 percent and there being 309 average of year-end homicide victims, art is a valuable tool to serve as a means of therapy; especially, for a community where mental health is such a taboo, yet so many suffer from it.

The intent of this investigation was to get the real reason why our Public Schools lack support in the arts while getting in touch with real people who handle this issue.

To learn more about arts advocacy in the School District of Philadelphia, check back for the podcast ¨Where is our Money?¨ coming the first week of April, including several all-inclusive interviews featuring School District of Philadelphia employees and other art organizations.