Ryleigh Steinmetz, Junior

In anticipation for World Art Day on April 15, Mrs. Sunday and Mr. Jones, two art teachers at Palisades High School, were interviewed, both sharing their opinions on the importance of art.

Before understanding why art is meaningful to them, they were first asked why they decided that art was the field in which they wanted to spend their careers. Mrs. Sunday decided to become an art teacher because she had always known that that was what she wanted to do. She remembers all of her art classes, projects, and teachers, especially her kindergarten art classes. Mrs. Sunday has always wanted to be an art teacher and nothing else. Similarly, Mr. Jones was drawn to art at the age of six. He wanted to do something professional with his art and so he decided to become an art teacher, providing him with the creative outlet he needed. Mr. Jones also said that teaching is something that he loves because his students truly inspire him. He said that they motivate him to do his own art while teaching helps to reinforce the skills he already knows.

Both teachers agree that art is extremely important for reasons that closely resemble each other. Mrs. Sunday says that art is the best way to learn history. From the art people produce, one can learn about that person’s religion, culture, what they believed in, and so much more. Mrs. Sunday sees art as a universal language. One can go to an art show in any country and still be able to enjoy viewing the art while finding connections and what it means to them. Mr. Jones also agrees. He says that before education, art was the way to communicate. Cultures were passed down through art, saying that images are multi-cultural and that art has a broader audience than just natives. Every culture has different customs, meanings of color, and opinions of what is and is not offensive, so it is important to be careful and respectful when viewing other art. But, in some way, all cultures have the same ideas. In addition to agreeing with Mrs. Sunday, Mr. Jones has another opinion on why art is so important. He believes that art is important in a simple sense. Even long ago during hunter-gatherer times, when life was hard, and humans were still figuring out how to live, there was art. People had minimal intellect and minimal capacity for the world and they still found meaning in expressing themselves and making art. Even when people had responsibilities like catching food and making a shelter, they still made time to make art. That is why art is so important. Despite hardships, people have an outlet in art.

While art is important to the entire world, it is also important to the individual person. Mrs. Sunday finds art important personally because there are so many benefits that people can take part in. She says that there are connections to art in every area. Art is also important to her because she feels that it is the universal language of the world and that it is such a significant part of our lives. Meanwhile, Mr. Jones personally has been impacted by art because it was his identity for a long time. From the ages of five or six to eighteen, he was an art kid. Since his brain was wired like that, he was able to use art as a way to see a different perspective that others did not. Mr. Jones shared a story of a time back when he was an undergraduate. He had an idea for a landscape painting but he wanted to paint it on-site. He was so inspired and excited about the composition and the interworkings of the painting that he could not sleep. That eagerness and enthusiasm are why art is so significant to him. He is truly passionate about the art he creates.

Art is also incredibly important in the classroom. The two teachers seem to see eye to eye on this topic. From the opinion of Mrs. Sunday, art is important to have in school because it helps with a range of skills. Skills like fine motor, interdisciplinary connections, math, science, planning, patience, and countless others. In art class, students must work with rulers and fractions, and they need to measure which reinforces students’ math skills. Mixing glazes and using measuring cups reinforces science skills. Students who take art need to sit down and take their time, strengthening students’ planning and patience skills. The way Mrs. Sunday sees it is that art class is akin to a therapeutic adult recess. Art class is a real ego booster, and seeing the art one creates helps heighten self-esteem. Mr. Jones agrees with this point of view. In his opinion, art class is important because gives students the chance to problem-solve. With art, there are so many ways to solve a problem and students get to exercise that ability. It also gives them the chance to appreciate art and its process while giving them instant gratification for the art they created. Mr. Jones agrees with many of the skills Mrs. Sunday previously listed as well as the addition of hand-eye-connection. According to him, art is forty to fifty percent the hand and eye creating what is seen, while the rest is observation, like how to look for elements in a piece and not forget them. Students often can tell that something is “off” about a piece, but it is up to them to identify why, and then correct it. Mr. Jones encourages students to take art classes as it gives people an idea of themself they had not known earlier. People can discover something about themselves they did not know earlier. Students can also learn what medium they like best and expand on that throughout their classes. Overall, taking art in school can be beneficial to your life, and to your self-discovery.

A current topic in the media right now is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make art. Mrs. Sunday is not too worried about it. She says she has yet to try it, and she has not seen too much of it circling the web though she says that she can definitely tell when AI is used in photographs. Mrs. Sunday says that there is a difference between AI and 3D art because an AI cannot sculpt, and even with 3D printers, there is still a difference. She does see AI as a type of graphic design, and she believes that some graphic designers might be worried. But on the whole, she has not seen enough to be scared of AI and she does not pay it any mind. She knows that AI is not coming for her job. However, Mr. Jones does not share the same opinion of AI as Mrs. Sunday. He firmly believes that a robot should not be creating human expressions, stating that AI views humans like a mirror because we created it. He says AI is overall bad at the moment because there are no regulations and that it is solely a money grab. Mr. Jones is a firm believer that AI has no business creating art.

Both of these art teachers are incredible people and have a world of information to share. Each offers wonderful art classes that, with any evidence from this article, could truly benefit anyone who steps in.