“It’s a detriment because they’re cutting out the ‘A’, it’s STEM, not STEAM [now],” Art and Design Lecturer Miles Warner said, reflecting on the need for support of arts education.
The month of March marks Youth Art Month, a designation coined in 1969 by the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI).
According to a Nov. 1, 2021 article published by the National Art Educators Association, the month specifically aims to encourage “quality school art programs,” as well as to recognize “art education as a viable factor in the total education curricular that develops citizens of a global society.”
At Keene State, art programs are looking to persist in a shifting landscape in some circles of higher education.
Professor of Art and Faculty Coordinator at the Thorne Sagendorph Art Gallery Paul McMullan said arts educators across the state and country are already experiencing downsizing.
“We’re feeling it… the arts have been getting cut, and I think we’ll start to see a difference in students [in terms of] dexterity and how it relates to the brain and your development,” McMullan said.
Warner said the overlap between STEM and the arts should be a liberal arts ideal. “It’s exploratory thinking and problem-solving in a different way, it’s not exactly strictly goals-based,” he explained.
In terms of why exhibiting art is important, McMullan said there are benefits to both the creator and the viewer.
“[When] you make the piece of artwork, you kind of put your soul into it and then the viewer comes along and picks that soul out and puts it in themselves, it’s a way of relating,” McMullan said.
McMullan noted it is important now more than ever to have a space like the Thorne and remain supported by the campus.
“We’re here at Keene State, we still have our gallery, [The University of New Hampshire] lost theirs,” he said.
A Feb. 1 article from ARTnews’ Harrison Jacobs reported UNH’s Museum of Arts was set to permanently close after plans to replace the museum’s HVAC system, a necessity to get accredited, fell through.
Art and Design Department Chair Jonathan Gitelson said with technological advancements, teaching human problem-solving within art education is key.
“I think separating [STEM and art fields] and definitely eliminating the arts is a huge mistake because without the ability to creatively problem-solve, which is really what art-making is, somebody working in the STEM fields is going to be much less equipped to be successful,” Gitelson said. “You need both of them – left and right brain.”
Arts students at KSC said the college maintaining support for their programs for current and future students should be a priority.
Senior Vitheavy Barton, a Graphic Design major, said learning skills in the field can often translate well for career paths.
“There is design and communication in every single field and we are constantly being bombarded by it, especially with the age of information and news, we’re communicating through visuals,” Barton said.
Barton said while not all students will pursue the art programs, she hopes there is an appreciation for not only the work but the passion going into it.
“It’s a release, it’s a hobby for many and I think fostering that creativity especially when people collab[orate] with each other and build a sense of community through art, I think that’s really important too,” she explained.
Barton said she was inspired to go into the arts by her parents.
“My dad, as a hobby, he was a photographer, he also liked to draw and my mom liked to draw… She was a graphic design major too so their love for it kind of inspired me and then as I grew up I made friends that also liked doing art,” she said.
Now at Keene State, Barton has arts mentors as her professors.
“I wanted to go to a small school because I knew I could get close to my professors and it’s definitely been possible here,” she said.
Senior Feride Saribas, a Graphic Design and Spanish double major, said her art journey began with her education in her birth country of Turkey.
“I had teachers that would kind of get me going and push me into doing more artworks in general so I think that’s very important that you have those kind of leaders and catalyzers to help you get started in engaging with art,” Saribas said.
Saribas said art education is personal to her and is important in helping to gain different perspectives.
“For me, I would say that art has been a way to communicate my ideas mostly, and being from Turkey and English being my second language, I can say that this played a big role in me adapting better to living in the U.S.,” she explained.
Saribas’ advice to aspiring young artists is to not feel intimidated by the field.
“Art can feel like a void in and of itself because it kind of gathers very different aspects of life into one sector and that might be confusing for some people … It definitely was for me and is, so I would say just trust the process and get going, get creative,” Saribas said.
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
