By Emilio García
Art is not only things like paintings you see at the museum, the music you listen to on your way to work, or the sculptures created by the famous Michelangelo. Art is not only for the amusement of others; it gives the artist a broader understanding of the world and how he or she sees things. It’s also a medium that brings diverse people together. As Dee Dickinson, founder of New Horizons says, “[The arts] are languages that all people speak that cut across racial, cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers and enhance cultural appreciation and awareness.”[1] According to Dickinson, art can break the tensions created by racial or cultural barriers and unite them as one.
I interviewed a professional artist named Heidi Schork. She is a public worker and she is the one who creates the beautiful murals you see around Boston. “My job is to solve problems in the city of Boston through art.”[2] Schork said. Art can be used not only as a way to amuse people, but to connect to them and solve the problems that they have. During the interview Heidi told me a story about how in one neighborhood there was a barber shop run by African Americans, and a corner store run by Puerto Ricans. They were constantly having problems until one day Heidi decided to paint a mural in between both stores that represented both of the franchises. The owners were ecstatic to see such a beautiful painting and decided to put their differences aside. The power of art is great. It can bring diverse people together and promote peace, but not many are aware of that fact.
Many do not see the true value of art. I think art classes should be treated as equally important as other classes.
During budget cuts any extracurricular classes such as visual arts or music, are always the first ones to be cut. Why is that? It is mostly because many believe that those who follow a career in those subjects will not prosper. Many do not see the true value of art. I think art classes should be treated as equally important as other classes.
There is another category of art called applied arts such as architecture, fashion design, interior design, and commercial arts. These are things we encounter every day, and many people are employed in these fields. Some students are looking for a career in arts, but those who take an art class or music class in school are not being taught what they need know to succeed in those careers. There’s more to a career in art than the practice of art itself.
So creating apprenticeships with professional artists would help students learn what it takes to make a living as an artist or in an art-related field. It would offer these students chances to shadow and learn the lifestyle of artist who did manage to become successful. By giving them this opportunity we would be allowing them to get firsthand experience of the challenges an artist faces and give them a better understanding of the field. Currently there are a few internships for people who want a career in art, but how do we bring those internships into BPS high schools? We need to make art apprenticeships readily available for those high school students who decide to follow that career.
Dee Dickenson reminds us that “[The arts] improve academic achievement–enhancing test scores, attitudes, social skills, critical, and creative thinking.”[3] So art can bring improvement in any of the other courses a student might be taking. In light of all these benefits of training in the arts, why not offer students opportunities to look into the world of professional artists? Give them an opportunity to study and look really close at how an artist does his work and makes a living. For those seeking a career in the arts, internships and apprenticeships would give them that push they need to succeed. Great changes in attitude will arise. For other students, these programs will provide essential learning skills, no matter the career they end up pursuing.
E: You say you do public art. Can you explain that a bit more?
H: My job is to solve problems in the city of Boston using art as a means – well maybe not to solve the problem, but to bring attention to a problem. One of the problems, 25 years ago when I started to work for the city, was the lack of interesting work for high school students. The city funded a whole bunch of jobs, but they were awful: weed-whacking a bunch of vacant lots and sweeping.
So I had this idea that I could work with young people and paint murals. It was at a time when the city was really gung-ho about painting over graffiti. Every time they painted over a tag, someone would come along and retag it so we said “Oh, well, if we put a mural here, that won’t happen” and that turned out to be true! Now, I have crews of young people like you who work with professional artists like me and go around the city painting murals. We spend three or four weeks on a project. In the wintertime, when it’s too cold to paint outside, I go on missions for the city into places that other people might have ignored. Right now, I am working with the shelter for homeless women. Me and my assistants have been in there for a month painting it, we’re working on a bunch of different projects in there, and it’s changed the vibe up completely. It hasn’t made it not a shelter, because it is a shelter, but it has made the women feel like someone cares. A little bit of hope.[4]
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