Save Art Education: From the Eye of a Philadelphia Artist
By Tara Stowe
"I just make art," said 44 year-old Philadelphia resident David Aronson. Aronson continues the legacy of his artisan family. Although David Aronson has been drawing since he was old enough to hold a crayon, he completed formal training in 1986 at the Hussian School of Art and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art for one year.
Art classes were never an important part of the school curriculum
as Aronson recalls from his high school days. Has the teaching
philosophy for the arts changed over the last 20 years? According
to Aronson it has become worse. "Arts programs have been
cut tremendously in public schools and they hardly have programs
at all," he continued, "I think it is damaging to young
peoples' minds to take [art] learning out of the classroom,"
he said.
Aronson defines his artistic specialization as a mixed media including
illustration as well as oil and water color paint. "I'm not
just making pictures to go with what people want to see, but I
feel that my personal vision lends itself well to fine art,"
he explained. Aronson describes his work as strange, surreal,
and not mainstream.
David Aronson's art has appeared on CD jackets for bands such
as Six Feet Under, magazine covers, animated videos shown on MTV
and in several children's books.
Aronson always knew he wanted to pursue art for a career. "Art
has always been the essential core of my identity. Making art
was always a serious thing, seen as important, not trivial,"
he said. As a child he was always encouraged by his parents to
express himself through art.
"It's really hard to make a living as an artist," he
admits. Aronson finds creative ways to sell his art because it
is very difficult to work solely as a professional artist. He
shows his work at galleries throughout Philadelphia and makes
prints of his commercial illustrations to sell in Dollar Store
frames at First Friday each month in Old City.
First Friday is a popular event for local artists to display their
work outdoors beyond the confines of art exhibits. Underground
artists, affluent collectors, and art aficionados gather as a
community to experience culture and celebrate Philadelphia's art
scene along the art gallery district. "When the economy is
bad then luxury items are the first thing that consumers stop
buying, and unfortunately art is one of those items," Aronson
explained.
Aronson used to own a small business, which combined an art supplies
store and frame shop with an art school. Several years ago his
business art school went bankrupt as a result of financial challenges.
His determination to continue his career as an artist prompted
him to send resumes to all the art schools and centers around
the area. "I never imagined I would be teaching, I really
just fell into it," Aronson said.
For the past seven years, Aronson has been working at the Wissahickon
Art Center. The Center uses grant dollars to sponsor artists to
teach art programs to Philadelphia residents of all ages from
6 year-olds to senior citizens.
He never thought he would be good at teaching until his first
day in front of the classroom. "For the first 10 minutes
I was really nervous, and I didn't know if I could [teach]. Then
I looked at the students and I knew that they were looking at
me as a person of authority because I had knowledge to share,
and they were hanging on every word," Aronson said. David
Aronson teaches to supplement his income, but teaching art is
more than just a job.
Many of the kids Aronson teaches come from underprivileged homes.
"I can see that the fact these kids are creating something
is an expression of who they are," he said. A recurring question
for both artists and underprivileged youths is: Am I good enough?
Aronson finds it extremely gratifying to watch his students
develop. He believes the arts help children socially and in school.
When his students make themselves vulnerable through art expression,
he responds with a lot of encouragement because they are seeking
acceptance of who they are on a deeper level. "Right brain
learning is very important and in our society the focus is on
stimulating left brain processes," he said.
Organizations like the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership
and the Wissahickon Art Center serve the community by helping
kids be exposed to a positive influence in their lives so they
feel valued as a person and not just labeled as another kid from
the ghetto. "I perceive the attitude from kids that they
just don't count like they're just expendable and throwaway,"
Aronson said.
Art is a good outlet for children psychologically to learn how
to express their problems in a constructive way. "If kids
find something they're good at and they're valued for it then
they will begin to feel like their life matters which helps the
community because they are more likely to become contributing
members of society," Aronson said.
Aronson's advice to aspiring young artists is to ask yourself
this question: "Would you be wasting your life if you were
doing anything but art? If the answer is yes, then that is what
you were put on this earth to do. If it's important enough to
you, be persistent and keep making art."
For more information about art education for children, please
visit the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership online at
http://www.paep.net"www.paep.net, or call (215) 717-6596.
You can find more information about David Aronson's art at www.alchemicalwedding.com.
Tara Stowe is a public relations consultant for the Philadelphia
Arts in Education Partnership.
PHILADELPHIA ARTS IN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP
c/o THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS
320 S. BROAD STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19102
TEL: (215) 717-6596
WEB SITE: WWW.PAEP.NET