New Jersey community arts programs fill gaps in kids education and spark creativity

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Eight-year-old Sebastian Dean is participating in an exercise as part of an education program based on artist Shantell Martin’s new exhibit at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, Mercer County.

The activity involved drawing something inspired by a prompt chosen at random out of a jar. That drawing would then be combined with contributions from others who participated in the activity to create a large mural.

The picture Sebastian is drawing includes a feature that is similar to a Droste effect, where it shows a picture within itself. He said the smaller picture was supposed to be the Mona Lisa. He said he likes art “a lot” because it gives him a chance to make new things.

His mother, Melissa Dean, said that it was important to nurture Sebastian’s interest in art.

“It gets him doing something new at home,” Dean said, adding that Sebastian also draws with his father. “I think it provides that quiet, meditative time for him to just draw, whether it is drawing or coloring or doing clay art.”

Tiffany Allen, director of education and engagement at Grounds for Sculpture, said parents are enthusiastic about their children having the outlet available to them each month.

“They love knowing that when they come that all the materials are there and that freedom to create is there,” Allen said. “They don’t have to bring anything, just themselves and they can just run with it.”

Studies have long cited the benefits that arts programs outside of the traditional classroom can have for children. A 2013 Australian study found that students who participate in outside arts programs have higher school motivation, engagement in class, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Another study published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences suggested that initiatives to promote arts engagement in children may improve children’s self-esteem.

Allen said that the museum wants the community to know it is a resource for children.

“We go to the schools, different back-to-school nights. We go to the art teacher conferences,” she said. “We make sure that we stay connected so that they know that we are a place where you can come and that where art lives and that you’re able to just immerse yourself in that.”

Community arts programs fill gaps for institutions

In addition to giving a boost to children, arts programs outside of the classroom fill gaps left by traditional classrooms and other institutions. That’s especially so for traditional arts programs facing budget pressures, despite being codified in New Jersey’s learning standards.

Lisa LaJevic, art education professor at The College of New Jersey, said programs offered by Grounds for Sculpture and other institutions play an important role in the community, especially as students in the classroom may not be exposed to art for a significant amount of time.

“There is so much more to really learn about and have this experience with, in particular, hands-on learning when we’re talking about art making,” LaJevic said. “I think anything that you can do to just reinforce the things that you are learning about in school or that you may not have as much time to really explore in the K-12 schools, I think the community arts programs are wonderful.”

Allen said it feels good that the museum has a role in helping schools.

“We have schools that come specifically for afterschool programs to have that extra art experience,” she said. “We have teachers that come here for professional development so that they can improve and learn from others and their different art teachings.”

Neurodivergent children get a boost from arts exposure

A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness found that any increase in arts-exposure yielded benefits for autistic students.

Michael Van Pelt said he brought his 5-year-old autistic son, Richard, to the programs at Grounds for Sculpture to aid in his social development. He added that his son was born during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and spent his first year shut in.

“This is one of the first places we could take him where he could interact with other kids and do some activities to develop his dexterity, creativity, those kinds of things,” Van Pelt said, adding that Richard is “very creative,” often attempting to recreate cartoons he sees, with “whatever he had in his hands.”

Van Pelt said the classes have helped his son, who is now more interested in doing art at home.

“Any of the ladies here will tell you when he first started coming, he wouldn’t talk to anybody. He wouldn’t participate in the activities, he wouldn’t draw,” Van Pelt said. “Just gradually over time he’s opened up and he’s become more comfortable around people and more comfortable doing these activities.”

Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series that explores the impact of creativity on student learning and success. WHYY and this series are supported by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, a foundation focused on fostering creativity in Philadelphia youth, which is led by Ellie and Jeffrey Marrazzo. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.