What I Am Learning From My Inquiry Question

Inquiry Topic Question: What is the relationship between the community, the arts, and public education?

Walking the streets of Newark, interviewing community members and children, and taking photographs and field notes have revealed a wealth of information answering the question above.

I have discovered that there is not an abundance of street or public art in the community. The only pieces of public art that I have been are the boldly painted garbage cans that line the street beginning at the Lincoln Park Historic District and moving down Broad Street,. There is also very little graffiti, which could also be considered “street art,” and the only mural is the devils hockey icon on the Prudential Center.

However, there are many community sites that are affordable for the public and that celebrate the visual and performing arts. An extra-curricular school called the Newark Community School of the Arts (NSA) is open to both children and adults. This school has a high population of people who participate in the arts programs and classes. There is also the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), which is a venue that holds attractions for the performance arts and musical arts concerts. There are several museums and galleries in the area, including the Newark Museum. This museum is one of the top three museums in the country that spends the majority of its budget on programs and classes for the local students.

Interviews with community members informed me that the community values and takes pride in the arts, but the artwork is only visible inside the sites built to honor the arts. I saw and spoke with one street artist who was painting “name banners.” He is trying to inspire to community, and he saws that it is the artist’s job to create the art that speaks to the public.

I am learning that Newark public schools also value the arts. Parents that I have interviewed shared that their kids produce a lot of art in school. The only time student work becomes part of the community is when student work is chosen for an exhibit in a local museum or gallery.