Today, the STEAM symposium was incredible. The Big Draw this year are campaigning for the current STEM curriculum, to include Art and turn into STEAM. We heard from Mathematicians, Scientists and Engineers as well as amazing artists with phenomenal technology and the general theme was, had these professionals not have the drawing skills or visual literacy they learnt in school, they would not have the careers they have now. I came away feeling inspired but angry. How can the government be so close minded, so oblivious that EVERY subject includes art and drawing. And that Art is not just one thing. I sometimes have moments where I doubt whether doing Fine Art at uni was the right thing to do (I'm sure I'm not alone) is the debt worth it? But it is. The reason I sometimes doubt it is because others doubt it. Others who don't realise the chair they're sitting in was designed, drawn on paper, then made. The house they live in, even the medicine you take, molecules were designed to fit together, the calculations drawn out (something I learnt today!) Basically, attitudes need to change. The elitist view of art needs to change. ANYTHING is art, it helps people make sense of the world, learn things, communicate. We could draw before we could talk. Everyone can draw. So do it. And tell the government they need to take note, put more funding into the arts and get some culture in their lives. Side note, check out cartoonist Zoom Rockman Cheeky side note, Strictly's Natalie and Greg Rutherford were outside!
