The importance of art

I have heard many people criticize schools for getting rid of art programs. The arguments rely on the idea that art can get people to think for themselves. Do these people not understand the purpose of schooling?


I will confess that I haven't really been into art. I have taken a few pictures of installations here and there, but I'm more interested in the natural world. Even so, I understand that art has value. There's a big difference between walking alongside nothing but concrete and walking through a colorful playground.

The problem is that I strongly oppose any attempts to teach individuals the right way to be creative. There is no right way. If you want to be creative, you can't turn to others to instruct you.

As for the argument that art encourages independent thought, I have two issues. First, the schools do not believe in supporting independent thought. Art classes try to establish a proper pattern to creativity. They embrace formulaic thinking. So-called creativity is now based off of what people feel they are supposed to think rather than expressing original ideas. This isn't just about art. Look at the movie industry right now. Our over-schooled society that had these art classes have absolutely no ideas any more.

The second issue I have with the importance of art is that not everybody thinks like an artist. Options are far more desirable than a rigid you-have-to-take-an-art-class approach.