Getting to the heart of art

Even for North Idaho natives, Art on the Green never gets old. The sights, sounds, and colorful bustle of the massive annual arts festival, sprawled across the lush lawns of North Idaho College and City Park, continue to delight, year after year.

But this isn’t a puff piece for outdoor fun. It’s serious appeal — a reminder that the arts aren’t merely pretty things. They’re necessary for a fully functioning brain.

So why is the trend to reduce them? Ironically, funding cuts in art education are allegedly meant to favor math and sciences — which science has shown are actually bolstered by the arts.

Don’t take my word for it.

Art rewires the brain. In a 2009 Johns Hopkins University study, “Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts and the Brain,” college students with regular music and arts training also had better motor skills and increased efficiency in non-arts areas, and improved their IQ scores.

Arts improve the three “Rs”. Reports in 2002 and 2010 by the Arts Education Partnership, using metadata from 62 other studies, concluded children exposed to drama, music and dance are more proficient at reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Students with more arts education also did better on standardized tests, had better social skills and were more motivated than those without it. According to the College Board in 2001, students in music-performance courses scored 57 points higher on the SAT’s verbal section and 41 points higher on math. Multiple studies have linked playing a musical instrument with higher math scores.

Plus literacy and critical thinking. A 2006 Guggenheim Museum study and pilot program that sent artists into schools linked arts education with improvement in six categories of literacy and critical thinking skills.

Even the opposite conclusion was encouraging. In 2007, a Harvard study that didn’t show improved academic performance in graduate students nevertheless indicated improved analytical skills. While adult participants in “Project Zero” showed little improvement in math, science, and reading, they did show improvement in visual analysis skills, learning from mistakes, creativity and critical judgment.

Arts improve community cohesion. A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation argues that art education also helps connect people to the community as a whole. Most students from lower income families get less exposure to the arts, if schools don’t provide it. Art education can help close those gaps, level the playing field and increase connections among socioeconomic groups.

And graduation rates. A 2009 Center for Arts Education study found schools with the lowest arts access had the highest dropout rates. Conversely, those with the highest graduation rates also had the most arts education and resources.

Art studies reduce misbehavior. A 2010 Missouri public schools study found that more arts education correlated with fewer discipline problems and higher attendance, graduation rates, and test scores. Studies in other states had similar results.

Art benefits health. Beyond just making us feel happier, creative outlets also increase emotional and physical health. According to research reported in Medical News Today, several studies found that expressive writing can help people cope with serious health issues, such as past trauma or a cancer diagnosis.

International research in the 2014 report “Can Musical Training Influence Brain Connectivity?” strongly suggested musical training improves the connection between the brain’s two hemispheres. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Aging and Health found that seniors who participated in plays sustained improved cognitive function and psychological function after four weeks.

Immune boosts and less pain. Both writing and listening to music have repeatedly been linked to improved immunity and pain management. A 2005 pilot study at two Connecticut cancer centers showed breast cancer survivors who danced had less pain, a more positive body image, and better physical outcomes (such as range of movement).

Employers want creativity and innovation. Aside from studies linking improved worker skills with arts education, take it straight from employers:

“The nation’s top business executives agree that arts education programs can help repair weaknesses in American education and better prepare workers for the 21st century.” — Business Week, October 1996

So as you browse this weekend and immerse in creative inspiration, remember to take it home with you.

Put simply, arts aren’t optional.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who couldn’t draw a decent stick figure but enjoys trying. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.