| Description |
As funding for the arts perpetually decreases, the importance of art historical education becomes more evident in society and providing a sustainable model for this education is of vital importance. The Clemente Program for the Humanities at East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah advocates for increased access to four humanities subjects: art history, literature, history, and philosophy. The program exposes young adults from underprivileged backgrounds to a world of free thought, analysis, and identity formation with these topics. It is important to allow these underserved students the opportunity to gain to tools to alleviate some of the conditions in which they live and help themselves, their family, and the future generations to break away from that environment. Clemente Humanities is free of cost and provides an accessible and approachable atmosphere based on the use of Socratic Method and comprehensive projects to measure learning. This model is built upon the ideas of Earl Shorris who developed a program designed to teach underprivileged adults humanities, which has been successful for the past twenty years. To determine the importance of art history education and using Clemente as a sustainable model for this education, I have included scientific and psychological studies that show correlation between arts education and brain performance, STEAM information, interviews of the program founder in Utah, some of the students in the program at East High School, and the art history professor for the course here. Although there are still obstacles faced by the program, they are not insurmountable and it is still in its developmental phase with leaders that are willing to troubleshoot issues that arise. Activating a sustainable model of the Clemente Program with art history is essential so that students can open their minds at a younger age to a world of confidence, critical thinking, and limitless creativity. Over time, it will enable them to utilize the passion art incites to improve their communities and sprea d the knowledge gained in Clemente. |
