Dear Editor and Board of Education Members,

As an Appling County School alumnus who has made a fulfilling career in art due in large part to early and continued inspiration, encouragement and developmental opportunities made available to me in the school system’s arts program, I write to express great concern with the proposed cutbacks in art education which are currently under consideration. I ask that the proposals for cutbacks be withdrawn as I believe they are short-sighted and will put the children of the county at great disadvantage by: (i) depriving them of meaningful career opportunities in the creative arts; (ii) inhibiting their performance in other subjects which studies have shown are strengthened by arts programs; and, (iii) whether or not they choose to pursue a career in arts, closing off desperately needed constructive outlets for expression. Because I feel so strongly that the children of Appling County deserve to receive the invaluable benefits I got from the arts program including the skills and confidence to pursue and succeed in the career of my choice, I’d like to share some personal experiences and examples of those benefits.

The inspiration and encouragement I got from the program started early and directly contributed to the work I do today. In first grade, I felt truly fortunate when my teacher, Mrs. Lewis, gave me the privilege of using her deluxe magic marker set, which had colors not available with crayons, to make a book. This type of simple reinforcement inspired me to focus on the arts. Recently, I found this long forgotten, stapled-together little book and noted how remarkable it was as it closely mirrored an extensive photography series that I had just produced and exhibited in a gallery.

There are many people from elementary through high school who also gave me the confidence to think of art as a serious and viable career and to develop the skills and techniques that I use today in my career as a graphic designer and professional photographer. The early themes, aspirations and concepts started back then are still a part of my current projects today which I attributable to my art education at Appling County Comprehensive High School.

Art Class is my first and strongest memory from my high school education. I was given permission to pursue my interests and focus on my work by taking art for two consecutive class periods and I am grateful to my instructors, Mr. Tommie Rogers and Mrs. Cindy Deen Whaley, who helped me learn a variety of illustration and painting techniques that I still emulate in my photography and design projects to this day. They gave generously of their time, and through art, helped the class deal with life’s problems. Even if Art was not going to be a student’s career or hobby, Mrs. Whaley was particularly talented in using it as a way to help students relate to themselves and the world. I was also fortunate to take private lessons from Mr. Rogers who always knew that Art would be my future profession, even if I did not know exactly what form and path it would take back then.

Art education is also critical as it helps students to better comprehend and excel in other subjects. Mr. Rogers was the first person that I ever heard use the term “Art History” and he showed us fantastic slides shows of art through the ages from prehistoric cave paintings to detailed group portraits by the Dutch masters, to the fantastic scene of Napoleon crowning himself Emperor. I was shocked and delighted to learn that every age and era of time had artists and designers to reflect those moments, events, ideals and innovations of their day. I did well on college placement tests that featured art history questions, and I owe Mr. Rogers thanks for his hard work in properly preparing me. Art class helped me better comprehend and appreciate my other studies. Math became patterns, charts and drafting techniques that I could actually see, understand and use for the first time, mixing colors became my chemistry experiment, and Botany and Biology were beautiful objects from nature for me to illustrate. History (thanks to Mr. Malcolm Peterson’s interpretations) and its endless cast of characters came to life and has always been my inspiration for portraits. I have made an ongoing project of historical portraits, which I have licensed for use on book covers and commercial assignments, and the inspiration for this project started with work in the Mobile Unit art classroom behind the school.

Many other teachers and mentors were there for me over the years and I was supported, directed, and given real projects to complete within the school and community. I had a forum to exhibit my work through clubs, annual staff, promotional materials for sports, the school newspaper, as well as assignments for my friends and family in Baxley. The highlights in my mind are the sets and backdrops for our plays, pageants and musicals that would rival any professional production, and the murals and decorations we concocted for proms and dances. Those were the days when I was excited about getting up and going to school! I could not have had a more supportive start and will always be appreciative for the opportunities that were given to me through my school.

The Art program also gave me skills and confidence to present my work and compete against students from larger schools and communities. One of the highlights of my art education was attending the Governor’s Honors Program in the summer of 1981 at Valdosta State College. It was a life changing opportunity and I was able to meet and work with talented art students from all over the state of Georgia. Most of them were from larger metro area schools, but I did not feel that they had any advantage over me! Mrs. Gloria Herrington helped me with the interviewing process for the program, and that was the first time I had to show my work to a panel of strangers and get my ideas across. I am still using the skills I learned from that early experience when I show my portfolio to new prospective clients today! I thank the Appling County School system for not just teaching me to believe in myself, but also for giving me the tools, techniques and expanding opportunities that let me harness my interest in art and make it my life’s path.

Art is also a critical vehicle for social interaction between students. I was very shy but an art project gave me a reason to express my ideas to my fellow students and gave me the courage and confidence to speak up. As a result I collaborated with and became friends with fellow students outside my normal social circle. I would not have ventured out to work with the football team or to join so many organizations if the art class hadn’t made the banners for them, and I would not have the diversity of Baxley friends I still have today if art class had not overlapped with various clubs and school publications that needed a drawing, sign or logo. Art class brought us all together. The most unruly boys would be mesmerized while drawing motorcycles during a class project because Art was asking them to define their own opinion and interests. Everyone liked to be asked questions about how they saw the world, and responded positively to the chance to give their personal ideas. This was the process that let us get to know each other. Art was the only class we would have together since everyone had their own interests, directions and demographics, but here we were all connected, and I think this is where I learned the most about the outside world and the diversity of human nature. Every student should have the opportunity to have this experience.

My teachers were mentors for life’s lessons, beyond just the subjects they taught, and that has inspired me to pass along the tradition. What I learned from them has helped me to become a teacher as well. I have been the instructor for photography workshops in Italy since 1998, and I enjoy working with private students and counseling young artists. Good teachers inspire us, and we pass it on. There are so many of you to whom I owe my thanks and gratitude. The creative spirit was in so many of my Appling County teachers, and I learned to have deep and awe inspired image of the world around me that fueled my artwork. They made me feel that my possibilities were endless! Without this inner motivation, any amount of technology, new tools or equipment is meaningless. Please do whatever it takes to keep this tradition of a comprehensive education alive and well for the current and future students of Appling County.

I greatly appreciate your consideration of my comments. As you can probably tell, I feel strongly that the Appling County arts program has critical benefits that will help students to better compete and succeed in careers both inside and outside the field of Art and to be better equipped to engage and socialize with their peers, including those from larger communities. I feel this because I have realized those benefits in my career and life in a very tangible way. I ask that you ensure that the children of Appling County continue to be given these crucial opportunities and not be placed at a disadvantage.

Respectfully,

Robin E. Davis

Atlanta