| In June 2006, the Orange County Government produced the first long-range plan ever undertaken by the County. The Strategic Plan For Arts and Cultural Affairs revealed the impact that the Hudson Valley has had upon American art from the very beginning: “For almost 200 years Orange County has held prominence in the art world, though few in the county would recognize its significance. Paintings of Greenwood Lake, Washington’s Headquarters, and West Point, all places of note in Orange County, can be found hanging in major art museums. They were created by the Hudson River School of Artists (1825 to 1875), the first arts movement in the United States.”
The Hudson Valley has been the traditional home to a good many award-winning artists (from Oscars, Emmies, Tonys, and Grammys, to highly acclaimed winners of international awards across many artistic fields). The Orange County study encourages a whole new approach to art: “The county believes that the arts, and creativity in particular, are for everyone, to be practiced by everyone, and appreciated by all residents. At the same time, full or part-time artists need to be treasured, encouraged and supported. The county envisions an environment where the arts are a basic component of every child’s education and looks forward to a time when all residents value and appreciate the entire range of cultural and artistic expressions.” The arts contribute to the community in both tangible and intangible ways. Consider, for example, the impact that art education has upon students. Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:
• 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
• 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
• 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
• 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
• 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem
Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:
• Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently
• Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
• Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
• Perform community service more than four times as often
Source: Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations, Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998
|
