Fine arts classes are a required credit and can be seen as very influential classes for students, yet they still struggle occasionally to get the appropriate recognition. Art -both performative arts, like music, and physical arts, like painting,- are forms of communication and expression. Senior Parneet Chahal has taken an art class every year since her freshman year, including the two AP art classes she is partaking in her senior year. Chahal is very adamant about the influence these classes have on students. She mentions how art allows students to express the things they want to say without using words through different media, like colors, strokes, and the way they draw things.
“I feel … a lot of kids think that art is just a hobby or something, and it’s just something that’s not even important, or doesn’t help you anyway, but I feel like it really helps kids actually be creative and use their mind instead of doing different equations like in every other class. You’re just thinking ‘I’m doing this paper, worksheet, writing down math equations, or writing down a story.’ But I feel like art, you can use your mind a lot and in different ways and come up with something that somebody else might not have thought of. I feel …. It makes a person more creative and unique. They can kind of express their uniqueness through their art,” said Chahal.
Among many things, it can be an outlet for emotions. A lot of artistic jobs don’t get the recognition they deserve due to the belief that jobs in the art department lead to economic instability, not understanding how much art shapes identity and culture, and harmful stereotypes. Senior Ruby Silbey adds to the importance of the arts and artistic jobs.
“I think generally the skill of observation [is needed for art], seeing stuff and not just drawing what you think you see, but what is actually there, and expressing yourself. . . I definitely think art should get more recognition ’cause it’s cool. It forms self expression, even if you’re bad at it, you can still be fun,” Silbey said. “The artist work industry is kind of difficult to get into. I feel like it’s much more luck based; but also, you have to work harder, you have to prove that you’re a unique individual compared to other [careers] .”
FHC art teachers go above and beyond to make sure their classes and students get the acknowledgement they deserve. Their perseverance and admiration for their jobs is shown in their everyday work, Just like AP Art and Design, ceramics, and sculpture teacher Michelle Ridlen, who was awarded the ‘Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award’ as of September 15, 2025. This award was given to her because of her effort both in the classroom and out. Ridlen wrote the curriculum for this program and recruited students to help mentor for her Adaptive Arts program.
Our school puts in a lot of effort to make sure the fine arts classes get the recognition they deserve; however, at times these classes are overshadowed by other sports or clubs. Senior Madison McGowan, who wants to pursue a career in the arts, talks about the lack of recognition these classes get, even if not on purpose, and the harmful stereotypes given to people in fine arts classrooms.
“Honestly, I feel like [fine arts classes] don’t get as much recognition. I feel like people are ‘oh, art and music are kind of nerdy, it’s kind of weird.’ A lot of people just don’t care about art,” said McGowan. “I feel like a lot of people think that these [fine arts] people are weird like, “Oh they do [art]. It’s kind of strange, they have such strange hobbies.”
Art isn’t something that you have to be good at in order to enjoy or participate in; art is about expression, not perfection, and it is a language understood universally. The fine arts classes deserve much of their recognition because they provide such a welcoming environment for the students, especially the teachers who make the students feel comfortable in their classroom. McGowan talks about her experience and the environments of her fine arts classes.
“I feel like you don’t even need skills. I think it’s just a fun place to be. Sure, you can have skill. I feel like you don’t have to be talented, it’s just a place that you can have fun and all that,” said McGowan. “ I dealt with a lot of mental health last year. I actually had an art teacher, Mrs. Clayton, she’s now gone. She really helped me, and she was my AP art teacher and my printmaking teacher. I just love the art teachers there. they’re very good at helping out, they’re like, ‘oh, you got this. you don’t have to be good, or ‘you just have to push for it.’”
