Arts funding cuts are often described as unfortunate but necessary cost-saving measures by governments and local authorities.

By now, we’ve all heard that Uncle Sam’s current economic status has led to nationwide budget cuts….but no one really discusses the impact this has on today’s tiny tots.

While all departments are heaving under the weight of burdening finances, both budget cuts and reduction of available arts and humanities courses particularly plague the U.S. ‘creative industry’ sector. A perfect example can be seen in the differentiation of allocated federal funding across the nation. Here, an annual $250 million of federal funds are distributed to arts and humanities, versus the $5 billion that is annually allocated to the National Science Foundation.

It seems that federal funding for class curricula has made a shift towards the more common, core subjects of Science, Math and English — (which are all very well and good, don’t get me wrong) — but riddle me this…what about the arts? How will these arts funding cuts affect the creative industries in the future?

Consider the “No Child Left Behind Act,” which outlines the arts as inclusive to core academia. Yet despite this acknowledgment, fewer public elementary schools are offering arts, media, and humanities classes than just ten years ago.

Why this disparity? There would be just cause if artistic endeavors amounted to mutinous writings on the wall, but research clearly stresses the importance of creativity exploration amongstchildren of young (absorbing) ages. Creative activities serve as essential building blocks for future child development. In fact, studies show that students who study art are actually four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, and three times for likely to be awarded for school attendance.

Hopefully these artistic industry stats have started to pique your interest? Good! Now, don’t be shy — check out our latest infographic above, which highlights current funding trends, in addition to the many benefits associated with an arts and humanity education. So now it’s your time to read up, get informed about arts funding cuts, and always remember to embrace your own inner artist…even if your scholastic system fails to.

Sources:

Huff Post article on arts in elementary schools

Huff Post article on Sequestration Cuts

Do Something: 11 Facts About Arts in Education

The Importance of Art in Child Development

Homeroom blog: The State of Arts Education in U.S. Public Schools

Philadelphia Public School Notebook blog

Artsblog: 10 Reasons to Support the Arts

Additional Resources:

For more information on how the arts can impact and improve your child check out this infographic with 51 Benefits of Art Education for Kids.