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Most art museum enthusiasts know that visual art experiences are valuable to a child’s growth and achievement, but do we really know why? Over the years, many studies have quantified the benefits of fine art experiences on a child’s development.
While we appreciate the scholarly research, we also like to go straight to the source for our information. For our Top Ten Reasons to Attend a Mint Summer Art Camp list below, we culled fascinating facts from recent studies, but also asked for input from the TRUE experts—kids and parents! –Leslie Strauss, Head of Family & Studio Programs
10. Art is motivating! Kids in art classes can actively engage in their experience, taking risks, and developing sustained attention and perseverance.
9. Art makes you smart! Studies have shown that kids who participate in art experiences tend to score higher in language arts and mathematics exams.
8. Think about it! Kids who learn to look closely at art, using reasoning skills to infer what they see, are able to transfer those essential reasoning skills to other fields including science.
7. Art makes good people. Making art leads to self-confidence and self-control, collaboration, empathy for others, and social tolerance.
6. I can do it! Learning new things can be challenging, and kids who are challenged to try new things develop a strong sense of accomplishment.
5. Art is messy! At the Mint, we welcome the creative disaster areas that arise when paint, clay, tape, glue, and glitter are truly activated. Why have the mess at home?
4. Drawing is awesome. As one of our kid-experts says, “If you draw something really awesome like a dragon, you can imagine it’s real!”
3. Freedom! Another kid-expert tells us “the best thing about art camp is that there’s not an exact certain way you have to do the project. You can adjust it to how you want it.” Individuality is encouraged in the arts, and kids love finding their own approaches and solutions.
2. Art is for everyone. There’s no right or wrong in art, art is noncompetitive, and we can all find a connection between ourselves and the art we see or make.
1. You’re hanging with the masters at the Mint. From the master potters of the Ancient Americas to African wood carvers to English landscape painters to contemporary craft artists, our young camp artists are among good company when they visit and sketch in the museum galleries. Engaging with authentic art from around the world is our parent-experts’ top reason for choosing the Mint, and makes the Mint summer camps truly stand out from the rest!
What did we miss? Let us know what you appreciate the most about art classes and camps. Join us this summer and help add to the list!
SUMMER ART CAMPS
June 14 – July 28
The Mint offers an exciting menu of creative camps for ages 3–18. Kids explore museum galleries, develop new skills, learn about fascinating cultures, and express themselves!
Visit mintmuseum.org/summercamps to reserve your space.
Members receive a 25 percent discount!
This article appears in the Winter + Spring 2016 issue of The Mint Museum’s member magazine, Inspired. Want a copy? Join now , visit either museum location, or call 704.337.2009.