Art Education

Arts Education is an integral part of the core curriculum and provides students with unique experiences not taught in other core areas. The arts offer powerful tools for expression – tools for making connections between intellect and emotion, tools for bringing meaning and beauty into our lives, and tools for solving problems and communicating ideas. They are an essential part of human history and provide a foundation for understanding the present as well as the future.  Studies in the arts foster perceptual awareness, cognitive processes, aesthetic literacy and life-coping skills. Participating in arts experiences enhances self-esteem, builds self-discipline, and reinforces societal values, such as cooperation, commitment, and working towards a common goal. Interdisciplinary arts experiences promote an artistically literate society and stronger understanding of oneself.(From the APS Fine Arts Mission Statement at https://www.apsva.us/arts-education-overview/)