Virginia Celebrates Arts Across Virginia Day on March 3, 2023

 

Arts Across Virginia Day is sponsored by the Virginia Art Education, Virginia Theatre, and Virginia Music Educators Associations along with Virginia Thespians and Virginia Coalition for Fine Arts Education. Arts Across Virginia Day on March 3, 2023, is intended to raise awareness of the importance of the arts in our schools and of the many ways the arts impact our communities.

 

All members of the arts community, including arts educators, professional artists, actors, and musicians, cultural arts organizations, and museums are invited to upload pictures of their or their students’ art or arts performances to #artsacrossva23. Parents, school administrators, decision makers, policy makers, and others who support the arts are also invited to collaborate by posting the logo to their social media or by submitting comments, stories, or personal experiences with the arts to #artsacrossva23.

 

As defined in Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a well-rounded education is not complete without the arts. Study and practice in the visual and performing arts prepare students for the 21st century and facilitate growth directly aligned with the 5C’s: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and civic and community engagement. The arts also provide opportunities for students to hone literacy skills which require them to critically examine and communicate through images and sound as well as text.

 

Further, research shows that when instruction provides opportunities for students to experience learning through the fine arts, they make curricular connections with other subject areas in deep and meaningful ways and are more engaged in the learning process. Students who participate in quality fine arts programs attend school on a more regular basis and develop leadership capacities. They are also more likely to stay in school, graduate on time, and go on to graduate from college. College Board data indicate that the more students are involved in fine arts coursework and activities, the higher their SAT scores are, not only in Virginia but nationwide.

 

Finally, it is important to note that the arts have benefits for student social-emotional learning. Research indicates that arts education has a multitude of benefits to support students’ emotional well-being and help students cope with social isolation and rapidly changing reality.