The State of Art Education in Public Schools

Over the past three years in most public school districts, funding for visual art education has decreased.  (Here is a study released in February 2011 by the National Endowment for the Arts: http://www.nea.gov/research/2008-SPPA-ArtsLearning.pdf)  

This lack of funding for art in public schools does not match the need for student expression.  In today's social atmosphere, students should have access to more opportunities to rub shoulders and viewpoints with their peers from a variety of backgrounds.  What better way than to use self-expression as the platform?

Exhibition Catalogue

A benchmark for Public New Arts (www.publicnewarts.org) is to give students the experience of working with the visual arts.  Providing the content for the Exhibition Catalogue is one such experience. 

Students Artists create the artwork that is hung on the walls and decorate the pages of the Exhibition Catalogue.  They compete for thirteen prizes, all generously donated by art schools and centers, art stores, and public galleries.  PNA Acceptance Jurors J. Gordon and Lindsay Wraga send a written critique to each artist.

Student Curators receive hands on training from the PNA Curator Brittany Schrum in curatorial issues.  In addition, Students work together to organize the Student Artists' work for the Exhibit and to place the Awards (that were so generously donated).

Student Writers utilize their own viewpoints and preferences to create original art criticism/art history essays.  The PNA Editor Madeline Adams works with students to develop the essays, and they publish their work in the Exhibition Catalogue.

Public New Arts' students build a professional juried art exhibit and an Exhibition Catalogue to showcase their artwork and essays.  

If we raise $1000, participating students and each school will receive a 40 page, combination glossy/matte paper (images of artwork on glossy) Exhibition Catalogue.  If we raise $4000, we will enough room to size the artwork larger in a 64 page, glossy catalogue.  

The Exhibition Catalogue for PNA's first exhibit is going to be great - all artwork clearly printed; essays and Studio- Process Statements edited; every person acknowledged. 

The First Annual Public New Arts High School Art Exhibit 2011 is scheduled to take place at the Rotunda, part of the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia, PA, between June 3rd and June 11th.

Public New Arts

Public New Arts is an aspiring 501(c)(3) nonprofit, expecting the incorporate in Fall 2012.  We are a group of volunteers that see the visual arts as such an important part of our lives that we will stop at nothing to provide the next generation with this gift. 

Thank you for your support!