"World Art Day 2024 is on Monday, April 15, 2024: How can I get a good education in art as a home schooled student?

Monday, April 15, 2024 is "World Art Day 2024.

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I'm a graphic artist, I think I can help you.

You are in a GREAT position to get an education in art! First, you have all the time in the world...yay! You're not tied down by schedules, which is perfect.

1. Learn. Learn everything. From everyone! Take a pottery class with the local Artist's Guild, make fusion glass at the chain store that lets you paint ceramics, try everything you can get your hands on. Go to the art museum and just go soak it in. Maybe you'll spend all day in the modern art section and maybe you'll prefer to sit and stare at the medieval armor. Maybe you'll spend most of your time looking at the Greek pots and sculpture, or maybe the ancient Mayan gods catch your eye. Read about it...look for book on the pieces you especially enjoy, and ask the person down in the gift shop or at the information desk if they have any classes / tours you can join, or if they have an audio tour you can rent for the day, or if they sell books on pieces A B and C. Ask if they have a list of local artist associations who are open to new members, or new students.

2. Look for teachers. The woods are crawling with them! You'll be your biggest teacher, of course. But maybe there's someone on PBS you like a lot, and even if it's kitschy...oh hell, go for it, imbibe for awhile! Check out your local community center, there are often artists hoping to make a few bucks by teaching a class. Take another drawing class, or watercolors, or acrylics. Maybe they do pottery, too, or weaving. Try it!

3. Look for schools. Sometimes a class here are there at the community college can boost your education into new places. Call the Fine Arts department ahead of time and see if you can make an appointment with someone to talk to you about art classes and how you can attend. Can you audit them? (No credit, no admissions hassles.) But don't just wander up there, they'll be mad if you expect them to have time whenever you just drop in. A friendly email may do the trick, too. Look for how-to books at the library; freaky stuff like "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" is always good.

4. The web is full of stuff! I liked this one:

Links are at the bottom of the article and you can contact the author, too!

5. Practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more.

6. Look for art shows. Sometimes you can speak to the artist, but more often you simply become a fixture and you start making connections within the local art scene. One day you'll go to the Stone and Metal art show and casually mention an interest in painting with guaches, and suddenly someone will say, "Oh, Carol does that, wait right here," and pretty soon you're talking to Carol, comparing notes, and she's sharing resources with you. Good stuff.

7. Hold an art show. Often the little, independent coffee shops in town will let you display and sell some of your pieces over the course of a month or two.

8. Don't forget to be inspired by kids's stuff. Make a tie-dyed shirt, carve a pumpkin this Halloween, draw with crayons, read books like The Dot.

And check for artsy places in town, a lot of design houses will have events in them where you can meet local artists. Try Meetup.com, too, there's often something going on there as well.

HTH!

Why does the modern world hate art?

The modern art world doesn't hate traditional art; it hates repetition. Art's goal is innovation, it's to make people think. In every time period, people thought the new kind of art was weird compared to what they had before, they didn't want change. While artists seek change. These days a lot of critics are a fan of change as well, so that's why "crap smeared on painting canvas" is able to become so popular. Older styles don't usually survive. Of course there are always people that keep using older styles, but it's not making money because it's nothing new, we've all seen it before.

What's the point in art?

Art takes many forms and has many points.

Literature is also an art. If libraries or English classes [or other native language classes] in school were cut, the world may be a whole lot more ignorant than it already is. Art has certainly helped bring down a lot of intolerance, and hate.

I know a lot of people don't like reading, but even being forced to read a book like an autobiography written by a holocaust survivor for school can be very eye opening. Art is also a part of history - it helps prevent terrible crimes against humanities from recurring.

There's art in many simple things. Such as a birthday or get well card and flower arrangements. If art is not encouraged, not as many people will be able to take it up as a profession (because of their lack of experience and education). And people finding jobs is a good thing. Not everybody is good at art-related jobs, so it shouldn't be expected for artsy people to fit well into any random job.

Art is for pleasure, coping with stress or sadness, cheering others up, reflecting, instilling inspiration, instilling knowledge and passion and action.

It's definitely not a waste of money, but that's not to say we shouldn't be spending money also on the things you mentioned. I could argue that tons of other things are waste of money - but just because I'm not interested in that doesn't mean it's wasteful. I don't see the point in myself ever joining a football team, and I'll never need to be involved with one to get anywhere in life. But sports aren't necessarily a waste of money. I might not like so much that the government funds abortion, but it does prevent a lot of orphaned children/children raised in poverty. I also don't approve of a bunch of useless studies the government funds. Just because it's knowledge, doesn't mean it's useful.

Also, I'd like to point out that art has been used to advocate for things such as animal welfare and soldiers and whatnot. Think carnivals, auctions, telethons, etc. in support of things that need attention. A little girl named Alex had cancer, and she created a necklace with her mother that is now sold and raises money for cancer research. Unfortunately she has passed, but what a difference one person can make with their art!

Her jewelry is called "Alex's Lemonade Stand Jewelry":

Speaking of people who make a difference, there's a man who does paintings of lost children to get their faces out there in hopes to be found. I can't remember his name, but I'll try to find his name and edit my answer if I do.

--Edit-- His name is John Paul Thornton. This is one of his more famous portraits:

It's on his deviantart account, and there are tons more portraits if you look through his online gallery.

I hope that answers your question~