The artist's job? To be a miracle worker: make the blind see, the dull feel, the dead to live....     Edward Abbey

The ARTS are in the design and beauty of the universe and nature, the sounds around us, the first dance around a campfire, and the beam of light that creates every color we see. The ARTS are the sounds of music that wakes us in the morning, the design of our cell phone, the car we drive, the clothes we wear, and everything else in this people-made world.  How could we survive without the ARTS-the music, the theatre, the ballet, television, movies, and the visual and auditory world we are confronted with daily?"
James M. Clarke, Executive Director Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education

"An elementary school that treats the arts as the province of a few gifted children, or views them only as recreation and entertainment, is a school that needs an infusion of soul. The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing and arithmetic."
Dr. William J. Bennett, Former U. S. Secretary of Education

"I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we too will be remembered not for our victories or defeats in battle or politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit."
John F. Kennedy

"The creative arts are the measure and reflection of our civilization. They offer many children an opportunity to see life with a larger perspective. . . The moral values we treasure are reflected in the beauty and truth that is emotionally transmitted through the arts. The arts say something about us to future generations."
Ann P. Kahn, President The National PTA

"Pyramids, cathedrals and rockets exist not because of geometry, theories of structures or thermodynamics, but because they were first a picture- literally a vision- in the minds of those who built them."
Historian Eugene Ferguson

". . . the arts have been an inseparable part of the human journey; indeed, we depend on the arts to carry us toward the fullness of our humanity. We value them for themselves, and because we do, we believe knowing and practicing them is fundamental to the healthy development of our children's minds and spirits. That is why, in any civilization, ours included - the arts are inseparable from the very meaning of the term 'education.' We know from long experience that no one can claim to be truly educated who lacks basic knowledge and skills in the arts."
National Standards for Arts Education

The creation of art requires the use of judgement, perceptivity, ingenuity, and purpose--in a word, intelligence.

Elliot Eisner

If we omit art from the curriculum, we are in effect shortchanging the mind.

Howard Gardner, Harvard University

Art is a place kids travel to, where they feel good about themselves. Keep their passport current.

Fred Babb, author and artist

Art is humanity's most essential, most universal language. It is not a frill, but a necessary part of communication. The quality of civilization can be measured through music, dance, drama, architecture, visual arts, and literature. We must give our children knowledge and understanding of civilization's most profound work.

Ernest L. Boyer

The aim of art education in the public schools is not to make more professional artists but to teach people to live happier, fuller lives: to extract more out of their experience, whatever that experience may be.

Grant Wood

You can't create without analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and problem-solving. So, the arts are the perfect model for moving into higher levels of thinking.

Rose Maree Myers, Principal, Ashley River Elementary School

Arts education enhances our nation's economic competitiveness by developing in students creative problem-solving skills, imagination, self-discipline, and attention to detail.

Richard W. Riley, Secretary of the US Department of Education