ABC - Arts in Basic Curriculum

Friday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the annual Arts in Basic Curriculum Conference hosted but the 2020 South Carolina Arts Higher Education Forum at Winthrop University. This is a gathering of art educators and education policy-makers from across the state who come together to discuss how the arts can be more strongly valued, better graded, and generally better promoted within the state. Dean Jeff Bellantoni, my boss at the CVPA - College of Visual and Performing Arts, opened the conference. To the left is Kim Wilson, Director of the ABC.Part of the reason for the event is to meet fellow educators from across the state, and as I'm prone to simply say 'hi' and make friends with people, I did exactly that, sitting at a table with several interesting people all advocating for the arts.
     The Keynote was Dr. Ron Beghetto, Pinnacle West Presidential Chair and Professor at Arizona State University. He talked about how we tend to overplan our student's curriculum, which can hurt their creativity.He said that,

"...creative self-efficacy and high school rank showed a significant negative correlation. This finding indicates that students who are more academically successful in high school may be less likely to consider themselves to be creative. (Pretz & Kaufman, 2015)"

He had some wonderfully inspiring slides, like this one of the path of creativity.He also included this inspiring quote by Miles Davis.For indeed, it's what we do next that is most important.
     Why is all of this so important anyway? Because it translates to jobs for our students.
     South Carolina ran a survey of companies a few years ago, asking them what traits they most valued in employees. Ironically, exact skills, the things schools most assess, weren't even on their lists. What they wanted most was employees with perseverance, adaptability, and problem solving skills. These are exactly the things that the arts teach.
     I'm finding that outside the world of the arts, instructors are fascinated by how we creatives think. They want to understand the alternative to hard science and numbers, and how one goes about learning to think differently. With all of the concentration on STEM skills in primary schools (leaving out the A=Arts), those skills are becoming in high demand. And that's exactly what we teach!
     Our future depends on people who can pivot and adapt with new technologies, and an arts education is one of the best ways to prepare oneself to do exactly that. It was validating to hear the data behind what we creatives have always known. It was also a wonderful introduction to the advocates of arts education state-wide. I'm so glad Winthrop is at the helm of this important discussion!