Did you know ARTreach is a non profit organization that sends professional teaching artists into juvenile detention centers to teach art, dance and music to the youth behind the bars?

The ARTreach artists report that every time they go, the majority of the youth say they have not painted since kindergarten, they have never sung in a school choir, they have never danced, played an instrument, or performed on stage.

Does this mean that kids that are not exposed to the arts enough when they are young grow up to be juvenile delinquents?

Could be, but maybe the better question is - why is there an entire population of children in Fort Bend County that never experience the arts outside of what they were mildly exposed to in elementary school?

The elementary schools do what they can, by fitting in a weekly rotation of art and music in-between PE, but by middle school, the fine arts are an elective, and if a child has not been given enough opportunities to feel successful in the arts, then the fine arts are not the electives they feel compelled to choose.

The main reason art might not be a part of a child’s life when he is young will be related to economics, and family priorities.   Ballet classes and private art lessons are expensive for one thing. There are not many quality free or affordable after-school art and music programs readily available or accessible to single working parents or the financially disadvantaged.

Art is a tremendous asset that our society in general appreciates and values. Yet not all families are in a position financially to afford to nurture their child’s artistic inclinations, and there are very few avenues to the arts that are available to our children being left behind.

What does equal access to the Arts mean?

It is widely accepted that the arts, whether dance, music, drawing, or painting provides some of the most effective, engaging and creative methods of mental, emotional and physical stimulation out there. The arts stimulate the overall creative thinking process! It is easy to imagine that the most creative thinking children will grow up to be the most creative thinking adults. We should wonder then, if ART can be so crucial to a child’s success, why is it not available and accessible to all people especially those coming from a family with limited resources? Kids with limited resources are the ones that need to be the most creative in order to succeed! 

The kids that are being left behind in the arts are the same kids being left behind in general. Whether you think socio-economics plays a role, or parental neglect, these are same children who are at risk of academic failure, dropping out of high school, taking drugs, committing crimes, ending up in prison system or otherwise supported by the welfare system.

If you want to encourage a generation of at risk children to creatively pull themselves up from an impoverished or abusive family cycle, then our community needs to better equip our children at risk with the tools to think creatively - and that means artistically. The arts can empower a child to envision a better future, and then creatively construct a more positive life for themselves.  The community can help by making a donation to ARTreach supporting our Fort Bend County Projects, or if you are an artist, volunteer to share your talent teaching art, music or dance to a child at risk.

Because ART Works!

Call 281-392-5341 to become involved as a volunteer, or make a donation supporting troubled youth in Fort Bend County