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Here is a thought. What if the pride of the North County included the fine arts? What if visitors who have come to respect and enjoy the beauty and leisure the North County offers also recognized it for its plethora of talented artists? What if young people living in the North County with a keen interest and commitment to the arts found support and education not only through the doors of their high school, but also out in their own community? What if this environment connected people more deeply to their surroundings and opened their eyes and hearts to new ways of seeing and experiencing the world? What if, in addition to the successful athletic teams, our graduates brought a significant contribution to the arts?
Did you know that Eugene “Bud” Leake, famous painter and longtime President of the Maryland Institute College of Art, was a North County resident and was famous for painting its memorable landscapes? Or how about Olin Russum, the famous ceramicist whose work is held by, among others, the Smithsonian Institution, who lived and worked for 40 years in Monkton? Or the vast numbers of oil and watercolor painters today who dot the local landscape capturing its shifting palettes and moods?
Art matters. We already know that the arts improve academic performance, test scores, basic skills and the capacity for creative thinking. Research shows that the arts improve attitudes and skills that promote the learning process itself. The arts are credited for improving school attendance, self-discipline, confidence and overall interest in school. Participation in the arts is a deterrent for drugs and anti-social behavior. But all things considered, what draws people to the arts is not the hope that the experience will make them smarter or more self-disciplined. Instead, it is the expectation that encountering art will be a rewarding experience. Art can provide them with meaning and with a distinctive type of pleasure and emotional stimulation unique to itself. In the end art is valued because the arts contribute to the general education and edification of the population and thus quality of life for all.
Did you know the arts are a great benefit to society? When art experiences are shared a communal bond is formed and creates a sense of trust in the community. It is especially significant when the art experience shared conveys what the community yearns to express, such as values and traditions of cultural heritage. These experiences also expand an individual's capacity for empathy when they draw people with vast differences from the same culture. When this process is sustained over time and transcends age, gender, culture and economics the results can be powerful. For everyone a stimulating, uplifting and challenging atmosphere comes to life. Communities gain prestige when they are recognized as havens for the arts. Such a community is a place to raise children.