Art-ology

As an artist, I am aware of the importance of having the best art supplies, the right tools and the finest resources for all of my artistic needs available to my everyday constructs. At school, I am provided with all of the necessary supplies and all of the things that I could possibly be in want of. I am able to achieve anything I want. After I complete a pastel rendering, for example, my teacher supplies me with any king of foam board necessary to mat my final work. Thus, I am able to show my artistic potential to everyone.

Unfortunately, not everybody has access to such a great wealth of supplies. There are children in inner city school districts that go to schools which don’t have enough money to buy enough artistic supplies. They may be aspiring artists, but their dreams are cut short since they do not have the resources their talent requires. I am lucky to be in such a school district where the community is supportive of the arts and has enough funding. It is too bad that not every school does.

I am certain that there are children in these poorer school districts that have as much if not more talent than the best artist at our school. Their art may also have more of a story to share with the onlooker, something with a deeper meaning even. Their art could possibly depict their lives and what it is like to be in such a crummy situation as they may be in. For example, if one artistically talented child who did not have the resources available to him lived in a home where his parents abused him, his artwork may be therapeutic and help him deal with his issues.

These reasons and many more are why there are programs out there that take donated art supplies and distribute them to schools where the arts department is lacking. These organizations will take new or lightly used paintbrushes, crayons, canvas, matting board, colored pencils, pastels, and many, many other items and provide them for the students who want them. When you donate to such a cause, you are given someone their dream. What could be better than that?

In school, we run canned food drives, and coat drives, and pennies-for-patients fundraisers, but I think that an art supplies drive would be awesome. Since I go to a fairly well off school district, I’m sure that it be simple to start one. Our arts department could sponsor it and there is always the possibility that other schools will join in as well.