Week 7- Art Educators as art advocates

In what ways do the roles of art teachers and art education advocates overlap? In what ways can advocacy be used as a communication tool? What is your view of the importance of teachers' relationships with their school community, parers/guardians, and the larger community-include in your discussion the role of professional ethics and school or community projects in which you were involved.

My views on art and my advocacy for the fine arts is largely based on the writings and publications by Elliot Eisner. Elliot Eisner is emeritus  professor of Art and Education at Stanford. Here are two of his articles that I have used over time to support my argument in support of art education in public schools:

Basically I feel that as an art educator you're immediately signed up for the cause. In other words, as an art educator you're automatically an advocate- if for no other reason (and I hope you have plenty of other reasons...) than to advocate for your own job. Fine arts are constantly on the chopping block when it comes to spending cuts. I think the best way to be an advocate for the arts are to be present in your community. For me this means teaching over the summer at summer camps, volunteering with the REACH program, and being involved in Ceramic Society. The more attached the community is to your event, or program, the more potential donors you have to keep things running. This is the nitty gritty side of course, and in my opinion it's best when a school doesn't have to run like a business. I have also been involved in programs like UAY through the University of Iowa Art Education program. This worked with teens at a local after school program. These are all instances in which reaching out and involving the community can not only help enrollment in your area later, but also get community members involved.