Why the arts are important and how they can change your life.

Why the arts are important for all of us.

I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Maggie, the new administrative assistant at Calaveras County Arts Council. I am so pleased to be working for this tiny non-profit with big ideas and an even bigger heart. I love working for an organization that believes in the arts, believes that art in all forms is essential to life, community, health, and happiness and works to support the arts in our county.

Can art save lives?

Let me tell you a personal story about how art got me through high school.
 
I was not a great high school student. Given my druthers, I’d have ditched school every day to hang out in the parking lot. I didn’t care much for class. But there was one thing I did love: clay.
 
I loved making things out of clay. I loved wedging up the wet clay, I loved building things, I loved planning my glazes, helping with the firing, unloading the kilns. And I had a ceramics teacher—Mr. Adams—who was pretty observant.
 
I was super-lucky to have been in high school in a time and place that was flush with money for the arts. We had an entire wing of classrooms at our school devoted to art, and after classes the ceramics room had open hours for students to come work.

But there was a caveat for me: Mr. Adams made me get all my teachers’ signatures to prove I’d been in class all day. That was the only way I could attend the after-school open hours.
 
Mr. Adams was pretty astute, because I wanted to play in the clay more than I wanted to ditch class. For three high school years I attended classes and went to ceramics in the afternoon. The carrot was made out of clay, and I chased it. I graduated and went on to college. Yay!

Tell us your story about art

At the arts council, we’d like to know your stories of how art has helped you. Whether it’s visual arts, music, dancing, acting; how has art moved you or your community forward? You can tell us in the comments section, or email us at [email protected]. We’re listening!