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Hi, I'm Ms. Wade. Welcome to Art at Menallen, Wharton and Franklin Schools. =Explore what we are learning by reading our monthly blog.=

Our Artwork of the Week is //Brooklyn Bridge//, c. 1919–1920, by Joseph Stella. See and read about it here: []
= **//Why art?//** = = = We live through art in our everyday life. We touch, use and engage with the products of the work of artists daily: the illustrations in our books, the photographs in our newspapers, the design of our buildings, the music on our car radios, the objects on our coffee tables, the performers, announcers and dancers on our televisions. For millennia, humans have decorated themselves and their homes, recorded their feelings and experiences, celebrated their victories, mourned their losses, preserved their stories and communicated their ideas through works in the arts. In fact, the vast majority of the knowledge we have of ancient times and people has come to us from treasured art objects, music, plays and dances that have been preserved for generations. Clearly the arts are a part of what it means to be human and an integral part of the choices we all make daily. Some students who have experienced a sequential arts education will become practicing artists; others will become scientists, web designers, educators, doctors and more. When people who have experienced a sequential arts education go on into the work force, they bring to their careers habits of working through experimenting, reflecting, problem solving and creating. All students must have comprehensive and sequential learning experiences from pre-kindergarten through graduation in dance, music, theatre and the visual arts to provide this focused training. (From [|PA's Standard Aligned Systems Arts Curriculum]).

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 * [|The Arts. . .]
 * [[image:http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/images/check.jpg width="21" height="18"]] || **Improve kids' overall academic performance.** ||
 * [[image:http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/images/check.jpg width="21" height="18"]] || **Show that kids actively engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement.** ||
 * [[image:http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/images/check.jpg width="21" height="18"]] || **Develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, teamwork and more.** ||
 * [[image:http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/images/check.jpg width="21" height="18"]] || **Teach kids to be more tolerant and open.** ||
 * [[image:http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/images/check.jpg width="21" height="18"]] || **Allow kids to express themselves creatively and bolster their self-confidence.** ||
 * [[image:http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/images/check.jpg width="21" height="18"]] || **Keep students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.** ||

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