Visual arts education is a vital and basic component in the development of all human beings. It is a necessary and legitimate part of public education for all students, regardless of their innate talent or academic ability.

Visual arts education provides experience and knowledge not found in any other area of the curriculum. Education in the visual arts enhances our perception by teaching us to use our senses qualitatively. The visual arts allow us to develop and use our creative potential, to see the value of our own ideas and feelings, and to respect those of others. The visual arts give us a chance to think divergently, to search out beyond the boundaries of what is known. The visual arts language is an avenue of expression not addressed or taught in other areas of the curriculum. It is a basic and unique part of education.

The visual arts involve students intellectually, personally, physically, and emotionally like no other subject in the curriculum. When students are engaged and involved in the educational process, they learn! Art offers all students the opportunity to express their own unique visions of the world. Art allows students to have expectations for dealing with divergent outcomes as well as opportunities to seek out creative solutions beyond the boundaries of accepted wisdom.

While the visual arts have their own intrinsic value, they also share many attributes with other content areas. For example, in social studies, students begin to appreciate cultural differences and similarities by examining the arts of the culture. Both art and science encourage students to observe and analyze content critically. In reading and writing, the learner interprets meaning from a symbol system. Likewise, in the visual arts, learners "read, write," and construct meaning with visual images or symbols.

The generative power of the visual arts makes it basic to all educational programs. Through visual arts education, students are able to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Studies have shown that, through arts education, students develop thinking and perceptual skills and their own intellectual abilities to discover images of possibility. This wealth of experiences and intellectual abilities provide a strong and rich illusionary base from which to draw upon future creative experiences.

It is critical to recognize the importance of visual arts as its own discipline. Visual arts education is much more than making things. It enables students to develop and creatively express their ideas and solve problems. The Boulder Valley Visual Arts Standards define visual arts education as sequential development in these five areas: communication, perception, analysis, use of materials and techniques, and understanding history and culture. The visual arts must be taught by a qualified and effective licensed visual arts instructor.

The inventive spirit is an important attribute of humankind; in fact, our society depends on the ability to create new and better solutions to the challenges that continue to face us. Individuals who can think creatively, feel sensitively, and see clearly will be our greatest resource for the future. These individuals will invent the future. Visual arts education contributes to the development of the individual inventive spirit, provides a means for understanding oneself, and provides a means for understanding the diverse world in which we live.