By Melissa Kate Miller, Director of Resource Development, Young Audiences of WNY:
“‘Art is not just about creating charming pictures to hang on the wall; it is actually the process of thinking creatively which is so important. Kids should have the confidence and freedom to follow their imaginations rather than producing something perfect and representative for their portfolios.’ [Ms Nilson] hopes to see more emphasis on the importance of specialised art teachers in schools and the involvement of artists in community projects.” – Pepita Smyth, Murdoch University News.
This statement from lecturer Caroline Nilson was published in 2013 in the Australian Journal of Teacher Education. Although Ms. Nilson spoke for Australian children, it could just as easily be for our young people in Buffalo. Educators who support the arts as learning tools are becoming more outspoken as budget cuts regularly threaten not only livelihoods but also the opportunities for our youth. However, as advocates continue to speak to legislators, rally in front of City Hall, and produce documentation of the value of arts in education, we must also take a moment and honor one trend taking hold here in Western New York.
Buffalo is embracing community art projects in a big way.
A few short weeks ago, Young Audiences and Buffalo State, along with many community partners, unveiled their Grant Street Global Voices mural, a project formed by Buffalo’s West Side youth. Last week, Burchfield Penney unveiled The Front Yard, a large media-based project that integrates art, nature, video, and sound. A public art curator will be established at the Albright Knox Art Gallery thanks to Mark Poloncarz’s visionary funding of $60,000 for the position. There are additional murals highlighting our medical campus, on Michigan and Goodrich streets. Buffalo is fast becoming a city where community art projects are moving from the niched underground, (literally, as in the case of the graffiti tribute of Manuel “Spain” Rodriguez near the Central Terminal), and are being supported and celebrated by some of our top community members and institutions, not to mention the new Community Canvases (lead image) initiative and the Allen Street Art Collective (below).
It is worth celebrating that our city has embraced the purpose of public arts as community builders, as place-makers, as tourist destinations and, ultimately, as opportunities for new and recycled dollars to infiltrate the city’s accounts.
But what does this mean for Buffalo’s youth? Specifically, why is this relevant to education?
In the case of the Grant Street mural, young people were a vital part of the creation process. Teaching artists worked with the children to uncover their stories and find inspiration from their designs. Parents weren’t expected to know about the work of art and engage their children – sadly, not all parents are able to do this. There are huge pockets of our population who will never go to the Albright Knox to witness the “Underlife“ sculpture that, when complete, will pay homage to Frederick Law Olmsted, or notice the canoe sculpture on its front lawn. If public art is part of the vitality of Buffalo, then we need to engage young people in a way that is meaningful to them. This is where the role of arts in education can play a bigger part in community building.
A powerful statement will be made when we see more of our children learning and participating in these community arts projects through school and after school venues; when they experience them as part of their educational journey. They will see their adult mentors and role models putting arts experiences forward as an important part of community participation. As a result, they will grow up to understand the value of thinking critically and creatively; it enhances the place where they live. We’ve seen its impact here at Young Audiences with our Curators of Culture teen program, where teens participate in arts experiences with local galleries, businesses and artists every day after school. What wonderful things does it say about Buffalo that our teenagers can receive daily intensive hands on arts and cultural experiences for free?
The more our educational, political, and community leaders recognize and place demonstrable value arts education – music, theater, literature and visual – and continue to create engaging – and challenging – installations such as The Front Yard, the more we will see our next generation of children emulate the kind of creative thinking that businesses, and cities, need. Arts enriched lives are not just for a select class of people. Art is and should be for everybody. I celebrated a creative writing residency with young people at Waterfront Elementary, and realized that these children had never seen creative writing placed on stage and honored. They had never before had their creative thoughts shared out loud and applauded. Think how that changes their perception of literature when they see adults honor it. Art that is shared becomes part of the living breath of the community – whether in a small group of fifth graders, or a large outdoor venue such as the grain elevators.
This is the way to Buffalo’s future. We have a long way to go, but we’re getting there. Our city is showing signs that our future is indeed a bright one.