Director's Note: Art Matters
Art Matters: Support Your Local Art Museum
“Art lets you express who you really are. Art is important because it pretty much makes the world come to life.”
Those are the words of 10-year-old Camille Underwood of Martinsville and I couldn’t agree with her more! Fall marks the beginning of Piedmont Arts’ Annual Giving Campaign and it is a time to reflect on why art matters and why we should support the arts in our community.
Research bears out that the arts contributes to our economy, including attracting tourists who spend money in our community while visiting the museum and other attractions. The latest statistics show that tourism is growing in Martinsville-Henry County and having a strong arts presence has contributed to this growth. In addition to the economy, arts education plays a role in student success. Students who are engaged in the arts typically have improved GPAs, higher graduation rates and aspire for higher education.
Local advocates for the arts express better than I or the latest research why art matters. “Creativity is an essential part of learning and is central to overall development,” states Dr. Jared Cotton, Superintendent of Henry County Public Schools and the President of the Piedmont Arts Board. “The arts provide students an opportunity to showcase their thinking through various mediums and encourages them to apply their learning in new and meaningful ways.”
Board members Joyce Staples, a professor at Patrick Henry Community College, and Dr. Gayatri Titus, who holds a PhD and has taught about culture and diversity, believe that the arts allow us to explore our cultures, while seeing beauty in everyone. “Art is unity,” says Staples. “Art brings people together to embrace their similarities and differences, it expands appreciation and knowledge of others’ thoughts and feelings, and it helps people see the beauty in everyone and everything.”
Titus, who is from India, eloquently illustrates why art matters. “Art matters because it gifts us with opportunities to heal, communicate and connect, to laugh, cry and jump for joy,” she says. “Art invites us to witness and interact with another human’s personal and cultural narratives while co-creating our own.”
I hope you will support the work of Piedmont Arts with a gift to the museum’s annual giving campaign.
Share with us why you think Art Matters with a comment on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #PiedmontArtsArtMatters.
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