Art Advocacy might be one of the most important things for an art teacher to be successful in. Traditionally, are is often pushed aside for more academic or testable courses. It is the role of the art teacher to constantly advocate for the arts and remind those who might try to take support away, that the participation in visual arts gives students so much more then technical art skills. As someone who has always been heavily involved in the arts, through my education, work, and personal practice, I innately appreciate the importance of the visual arts in my own life. Before now, however, I have never had to think about advocating for the arts in a professional setting.

I have a long way to go when it comes to advocating for the arts. My only experience before now has been my failed attempt to convince my parents to let me go to art school. While I have very few complaints about my experiences at the University of the Fraser Valley, and my choice to major in English and minor in Fine Arts, it was not my first choice. While I have a couple successful artist in my family, my direct family all work in the environmental sciences. A career in the arts just didn’t make sense to them, and me wanting to focus my attentions solely on the arts scared them. How was I going to get a job? What would the job be? Could I guarantee my success? As a teenager I didn’t have all the answers and that was enough for my family to refuse the financial help they’d promised me for school. I don’t blame them. At the time, I struggled to convince them, and I relied on their support financially for school. When I made the choice to pursue a career in education, they came around easier, but it was too late to change my major, so I left with two teachable courses instead on one.

I want to not only learn to successfully advocate for visual arts in my own school/district someday, if and when the need arises, but I also want to prepare my students to advocate for their own art, and for themselves. Preparation for the world after high school is so important; even more in this world we live in today. Every artist should be able to advocate for their own art and for their right to participate in it. Where I failed, I want my students to succeed. Even those who may not want to continue with art outside of their high school classes, I think they too can take away some tools for their future. The world is changing, and jobs are changing with it. The skills we learn in the arts translate into practical life skills that can be taken and used in almost any career.