Interview by Chris Curtin
Art Teacher Kristen Deschamps has set up her desk in such a way that she's sort of created her own little alcove: flanked on the eastern side by the desk itself, on the western side by the wall and her computer, and flanked finally on the northern side by a filing cabinet and a microwave which is itself resting on top of a mini fridge. The cabinet has on it several stickers, postcards, magnets, and photographs of friends, family, and former students. The postcards are painting-centric; the magnets include those of owls and sunflowers. Behind her computer from what I can see among pictures of her two young daughters is a black and white photograph of Ryan Gosling, I think? The front of her desk has only a sign reading: 'The Earth without 'Art' is just 'Eh'...' which in this case I think it would be 'the eh', but to each their own.
Art Teacher Kristen Deschamps has set up her desk in such a way that she's sort of created her own little alcove: flanked on the eastern side by the desk itself, on the western side by the wall and her computer, and flanked finally on the northern side by a filing cabinet and a microwave which is itself resting on top of a mini fridge. The cabinet has on it several stickers, postcards, magnets, and photographs of friends, family, and former students. The postcards are painting-centric; the magnets include those of owls and sunflowers. Behind her computer from what I can see among pictures of her two young daughters is a black and white photograph of Ryan Gosling, I think? The front of her desk has only a sign reading: 'The Earth without 'Art' is just 'Eh'...' which in this case I think it would be 'the eh', but to each their own.
A lot of the time Deschamps is playing Indie Music or Fleetwood Mac from Pandora Radio at a more than reasonable volume (I.e, audible if really low), so the entire art room is pretty ambient (with the exception of the heater abutting the outside wall, which rattles like it's got a point to make). There are more photos, paintings, postcards, etc. all around the room on nearly every available vertical surface; there are some paintings hung around on cabinets and the like thanking Deschamps, presumably from former students. Apart from teaching several art classes, Deschamps also teaches a Senior Seminar class and hosts the GSA in the art room on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month.
The art room itself isn't really messy as much as it's like disheveled or something; there's a clear organizational system, but people forget about it sometimes from the look of it. Having previously scheduled the interview, I start to conduct it while she is creating table-number cards for an upcoming wedding, at which she is also a bridesmaid (I should also add this is in the middle of a Senior Seminar class following some presentations; a hard deadline has me approaching a wire that may or may not trim my facial hair for me its getting so close, which my bad, so bear with me as far as interview truncation is concerned). The cards themselves show black calligraphic numbers surrounded by laurels of what I would call a kind of sea-foam or maybe like mint green, maybe. I don't know; I'm not an interior designer or colorist. I am in Deschamps's Drawing and Painting Class, though; we've only drawn in monochrome so far, however, so I'm no mint green connoisseur (if you've got a hankering to talk about quarter ecru or burnt sienna though, I'm your guy). Anyhow:
Q. As an art teacher, wherein do you think lies the importance of Arts Programs in Schools?
KD: Considering that 72% of business leaders say creativity is the most important aspect when hiring, I think it's necessary for students' futures. Students are 4x more likely to participate in math and science fairs when they're also art students, and are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement. [I'm fairly sure this was off the top of her head, though I have no academic sources backing me up on that fact.]
Q: So, do you think that art class in school should be a requirement, in the same vein as Math and Science are required? I specify since it's kind of sort of a requirement here.
KD: Yes. In order for students to have a well rounded education and utilize various learning styles, because you know, some students have different learning styles. I'm saying, learning arts incorporates a lot of different learning styles: auditory, physical/kinesthetic, visual. And let's not forget that creativity is the highest level on Bloom's taxonomy. And you know, without art, I don't think a lot of kids would want to stay in school.
Q: So what are your thoughts on the recently proposed federal cuts to the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities?
KD: It's...it's very short sighted. It's going to do a lot of damage. [She laughs nervously.] We're afraid. It's not putting student's best interests first, and thinking that art is expendable. Art is a reflection of our culture. [She quotes Winston Churchill, who, upon being asked to cut arts funding for the war effort responded: "Then what are we fighting for?"]
"Honestly, art helps kids stay in school. It really does."
The art room itself isn't really messy as much as it's like disheveled or something; there's a clear organizational system, but people forget about it sometimes from the look of it. Having previously scheduled the interview, I start to conduct it while she is creating table-number cards for an upcoming wedding, at which she is also a bridesmaid (I should also add this is in the middle of a Senior Seminar class following some presentations; a hard deadline has me approaching a wire that may or may not trim my facial hair for me its getting so close, which my bad, so bear with me as far as interview truncation is concerned). The cards themselves show black calligraphic numbers surrounded by laurels of what I would call a kind of sea-foam or maybe like mint green, maybe. I don't know; I'm not an interior designer or colorist. I am in Deschamps's Drawing and Painting Class, though; we've only drawn in monochrome so far, however, so I'm no mint green connoisseur (if you've got a hankering to talk about quarter ecru or burnt sienna though, I'm your guy). Anyhow:
Q. As an art teacher, wherein do you think lies the importance of Arts Programs in Schools?
KD: Considering that 72% of business leaders say creativity is the most important aspect when hiring, I think it's necessary for students' futures. Students are 4x more likely to participate in math and science fairs when they're also art students, and are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement. [I'm fairly sure this was off the top of her head, though I have no academic sources backing me up on that fact.]
Q: So, do you think that art class in school should be a requirement, in the same vein as Math and Science are required? I specify since it's kind of sort of a requirement here.
KD: Yes. In order for students to have a well rounded education and utilize various learning styles, because you know, some students have different learning styles. I'm saying, learning arts incorporates a lot of different learning styles: auditory, physical/kinesthetic, visual. And let's not forget that creativity is the highest level on Bloom's taxonomy. And you know, without art, I don't think a lot of kids would want to stay in school.
Q: So what are your thoughts on the recently proposed federal cuts to the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities?
KD: It's...it's very short sighted. It's going to do a lot of damage. [She laughs nervously.] We're afraid. It's not putting student's best interests first, and thinking that art is expendable. Art is a reflection of our culture. [She quotes Winston Churchill, who, upon being asked to cut arts funding for the war effort responded: "Then what are we fighting for?"]
"Honestly, art helps kids stay in school. It really does."