Communities and the Arts: A Discussion of the Effects of Community Support on Arts Education

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Developing and Improving Partnerships With Community Organizations in Order to Support Schools

Abstract

In this paper, the aim is to discuss some of the challenges arts education currently faces as well as highlight those arts education programs that have successfully drawn support from their communities to, not only improve but, save arts education programs in schools. Since the 2008 recession, many public-school systems have yet to recover financially, which has led to more than a decade’s retrenchment in curriculum offerings including arts-based education. The national agenda for arts has waned during the past three years. Given these conditions, what can we learn by linking research on arts education and the literature about community activism in supporting arts?

Authors

• William Gary Rhoden Jr., Clemson University

• Jane Clark Lindle, Clemson University