Through the Eyes of Art: Reclaiming the Heart of Art Education
Hey friends,
Let’s talk about something that’s been stirring in my soul lately—and maybe yours too: the question of why we teach art. Not the “because-it’s-fun” answer or the “because-it-improves-test-scores” argument. I’m talking about the deeper, more human truth of art education. The reason we stay in the classroom even when the budget is cut and the kiln is broken and someone just spilled a new bottle of glaze in the cupboard, down the shelve, all over the floor.
This week, I revisited a piece of research that feels like a love letter to everything we believe about teaching art: “Where Are We in the Art Education Required?” It’s both a reflection and a challenge—a call to stop treating art as an extracurricular and start seeing it as essential.
What We’ve Forgotten (And What We Must Remember)
In today’s test-obsessed world, we often hear that art is a luxury. A nice-to-have. A break from the “real” subjects. And as the research points out, that mindset has wormed its way into our systems—from policy to practice, from teacher training to classroom setup.
But here’s the thing: art isn’t the break from life—it is life. It’s how we make sense of the messy, beautiful, overwhelming world we live in. It’s how children begin to understand themselves before they even have the words. It’s how teens wrestle with injustice, identity, and belonging. And it’s how adults remember they are still creative beings, even in the midst of exhaustion and expectation.
The researchers write, “Art is not only an area where a student shows ability; it is also a way to reach the inner world of a student and support their emotional development.”
Yes. A thousand times, yes.
Art as a Way of Seeing
One of the most powerful ideas in the paper is that art helps us look at life differently. Through the act of creating, we start to see. Not just aesthetically, but emotionally. Philosophically. Empathetically.
The authors suggest that true art education isn’t about memorizing artists or replicating techniques—it’s about learning to perceive the world with curiosity and care. It’s about training students to ask, “What do I see here?” and “What does it mean to me?” and “How can I show that to others?”
In a world that often demands fast answers and binary thinking, this practice of deep looking is a radical act.
…art helps us “look at life differentl.y”
What Are We Really Teaching?
The study challenges us to reflect: Are we teaching art as an exam subject or as a way of being? Are we measuring success through rubrics, or are we noticing how our students grow more expressive, more confident, more connected?
Of course, structure and skill-building matter. But we can’t forget that art isn’t just a subject—it’s a language. One that lets students speak the unspeakable. One that often reveals what math and science cannot.
The authors say it simply: “Art education should aim to educate sensitive and inquisitive individuals who look at life differently and can contribute to society creatively.”
That’s not just a goal. That’s a revolution.
You Are the Curriculum
This research also reminded me that we, the teachers, play an enormous role in how students experience art. Not just what we teach—but how we show up. Are we modeling curiosity? Vulnerability? The joy of making?
Sometimes the most impactful lesson isn’t about shading or symmetry—it’s about presence. The way we listen. The way we value their voices. The way we gently guide them back to the page when they want to give up.
You don’t need a fancy studio or a perfect scope and sequence. You need to believe that the work matters. And that belief is contagious.
Sometimes the most impactful lesson isn’t about shading or symmetry—it’s about presence.
The Big Picture
So, where are we in art education?
According to this study: at a crossroads. Do we continue treating art as peripheral, or do we reclaim its central role in shaping whole, emotionally literate humans?
Because the truth is, the world needs more than STEM. It needs compassion. Wonder. Expression. Vision. It needs people who can imagine what doesn’t exist yet and then build it. And that starts in your classroom—with construction paper and paint and stories.
Final Thoughts
Art education is not just about what students make. It’s about who they become while they’re making.
So keep carving out space. Keep teaching them to see—not just with their eyes, but with their hearts. Keep offering the kind of education that doesn’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet but lives on in the ways your students speak, think, and dream.
Because this is the kind of learning that lingers. The kind they carry for life.