Photo credit: Ashton Elementary School

Our Arts in Education Celebration is happening Nov. 7 at the Sarasota Art Museum Ringling College of Art + Design, our partner, and is presented with Sarasota County Schools. I’ve been a longtime supporter of arts in the education space, and care about students having access to the arts. It’s also really incredible that we’re hosting it in a building that’s significant.

Before it was an art museum, it was Sarasota High School. Generations of local kids walked those halls, sat in those classrooms and figured out who they were going to be. Now that same building is where we’ll celebrate the talented students of Sarasota County Schools. We couldn’t have planned better symbolism if we tried. For a community’s identity to be rooted in the arts, it’s fitting to have an event celebrating arts education in a building dedicated to arts, that used to be a school and is still deeply partnered with education.

That’s what living on Florida’s Cultural Coast® looks like. The arts don’t happen next to our schools here. They’ve woven into them, and that’s a big part of what makes Sarasota County Schools so strong.

Here’s something that might surprise you. Ninety-two percent of Americans believe every student should have access to a quality arts education. But only 52% believe students actually have enough chances to take arts classes. That’s a 40-point gap between what we say we value and what we think kids are getting.

Schools see the same gap. In a recent national survey, 81% of public schools said students had plenty of interest in the arts. Only 64% said they had enough funding to teach them. The kids want it. The resources just aren’t keeping up.

I’ll say what I always say. We don’t put the arts in schools to create more artists. (Although we’ll happily take a few.) We do it to build a creative workforce. Leadership, collaboration, communication, the ability to connect with another person. People often call those soft skills. I don’t love that term, because there’s nothing soft about them. They’re the skills that show up in every job interview and every team meeting for the rest of a student’s life.

The author Daniel Pink made a point years ago that has stuck with me. America was never going to win on sheer size. Other countries have far bigger populations. Our edge has always been innovation and creativity. And as AI takes over more of the routine work, the people who can imagine, adapt and create are only going to be worth more.

The research backs this up. A study of more than 10,000 students across 42 schools found that more access to arts education led to fewer disciplinary problems, stronger writing and more empathy. Think about that list for a minute. It isn’t just better art. It’s better behavior, better academics and kids who understand each other a little better. Another study followed students from low-income families. Those deeply involved in the arts had a 4% dropout rate. Those with little arts involvement had a 22% dropout rate. Sometimes the band room or the theater is the reason a kid shows up (to school) at all.

Arts in Education is also important to our members, and they have programs and opportunities for students to explore arts. So, while we’re excited to share what students are up to in the schools, we’re also excited for the work done within our member organizations, too.

So come see it for yourself. The celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, and it’s free and open to the community. It’s an open house, so drop in whenever it works for your family. You’ll hear everything from the Southside Elementary Jazz Band to a Celebration Choir with students from seven elementary schools. While you’re there, you can meet organizations like The Sarasota Ballet, Sarasota Opera, and the Florida Studio Theatre. Details and schedule are at sarasotaarts.org/arts-in-education-celebration.

A building that once held a high school now holds art. On Nov. 7, it holds both.

Brian Hersh is the CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. To learn more, visit sarasotaarts.org

Photo credit: Ashton Elementary School