Educational Media Reviews Online

Alive and Well: The Arts in America is the second of a two-part series entitled The Arts: Dying, Thriving, or Just Hanging On? Produced by Films for the Humanities and Sciences, the series discusses the state of teaching the arts in American schools, and its importance to the population in general. The first program attempts to answer the following: "With the overwhelming demand for technology in the classroom, why should boards of education approve expenditures for fine arts faculty?"; and "Can municipalities justify building new museums and concert halls?" Alive and Well: The Arts in America takes a much more positive stance. Many of the testimonials feel that there is an intergenerational revival of the arts spreading across the country. This fine arts forum invites all educators and creators, and general supporters of the arts to take the lead and point out the importance or the arts to the American society. Individual programs are discussed along with their effects on students and the public in general. There is a feeling that the nation's artistic culture will continue to grow and, even more important, that a new diversity of artistic creation is emerging. While this film is cursory and provides little support beyond anecdotal comments to make its thesis, it is interesting and would make a good introduction to a class or other group which will be discussing the arts in America.

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