Stephanie Milling
In my last blog, I spoke about developing future arts advocates and some of the misconceptions that might prevent individuals from participating. To continue on a similar trajectory, there is one population, in my opinion, that we should target as the next generation of arts leaders who will continue to sustain theatre, dance, creative writing, visual art, and music for many generations to come: students.
While there are many different student populations who can contribute to arts advocacy in a multitude of ways, I am specifically speaking about students in postsecondary education. The students currently enrolled in university programs in the arts, arts education, and arts administration will have to confront grim funding and/or legislative realities at some point that will have an impact on their future organizations, schools, and/or own art making. Emerging leaders will need to possess the skills to speak to politicians about funding and legislation, school board members about why arts education programs should be included in the regular school day, and perhaps other administrative bodies to save their future jobs. Therefore, teaching them “how the sausage is made” and providing them with opportunities to participate in advocacy experiences can enhance their understanding of the protocols for participating in the political process and the influence of collective action in politicians’ decision making. Because the up-and-coming generation will most likely have to advocate at some point in their careers, why not prepare them for these experiences under the guidance of experienced advocates?
Despite all of the skills that future arts leaders gain from being involved in advocacy efforts, I have discovered over the years that the students I teach feel a strong sense of empowerment after participation in state and/or national arts advocacy day conferences. This week, I thought that bringing the students’ voices to the forefront of my discussion might provide a compelling testament for how their knowledge of and preparedness for their future careers are enhanced by participating in advocacy experiences. With their permission, the most current group of Dance Education students that I mentor at the University of South Carolina agreed to allow me to post their perceptions on ARTSblog after our participation in South Carolina Arts Advocacy Day last week.
When discussing their assumptions about advocacy before and after arts advocacy day, students stated:
“My initial assumption about arts advocacy was that I didn’t understand how I could really make a difference. I always pictured politics as being very shut off from society, but really politics are what makes society. I see now that even just one of us being there can make an impact and send a message that our goals are important. The most important lesson for me was learning that politics does not have to be this select club of people who are in no way like me. It has shown me that politics does have a face, and that face is of the people. I think that is something that will change the way I feel about elections and legislation for the rest of my life and allow me to feel that I can make a change.”
I think advocacy is a valuable endeavor because it teaches you how to communicate your goals and to show people that you really do care to do your job well. Advocating can impact the next generation in a positive way by creating more resources and quality educational experiences that they might have never gotten just because someone didn’t say, “this is what I need and this is why we need it.” It is amazing to think that something so major can take root with something so simple.
“Arts advocacy is of extreme importance. It creates a team of enthusiasts dedicated to educating all in the understanding that art is everywhere, vital to each person, and created every day. It blends into our society and circles how we live. I can’t imagine being an arts educator and not being an active arts advocate.”
“I would say that advocacy is a valuable endeavor for arts educators. I believe that in order to fully understand and benefit in making a difference in the community you must be informed, you must have experience, also you must also take action to see a difference in your community.”
In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire argued that education should be a reciprocal process between students and teachers in which students learn and teach, and teachers teach and learn. While current advocates know why emerging leaders in the arts need to develop advocacy skills, knowing how and why the process is profound for students can help us shape such “real-world” educational experiences and connect them to learning in the classroom. One goal in developing future arts advocates is to encourage them to continue their participation after entering the field. However, much like the expectation in advocacy, we need student voices to inform how we continue our quest for educating decision makers about our legitimacy in education and politics. How can transformative learning experiences empower the next generation of arts advocates to sustain our presence in education and society?
