I want to share this story with you:

I wanted to share this story with you:

One day I was at an art fair and Artworks had a table. I looked up and saw a man approaching my table from a far distance. I knew he was going to ask me an off the wall question, I could see it in his face. When he finally approached me he asked me, "Why do you think children need art?" Without even thinking I said, "That's an easy question to answer, children need art because when they buy their first house they will know which walls to tear out, what color to paint those walls and how to tile their own floors." He stared at me in disbelief. He replied, "I did not expect that answer from you, it is the right answer. I thought you were going to give me a lecture on the virtues of fine art." We smiled at each other and he walked away. I will never forget that day. That man put me on the spot and it helped define what we really do at Artworks. We prepare children to make choices and act on the choice.

The arts are an important part of a child's development. It doesn't matter if they are passionate about art or if they don't pursue art as a career. What matters is the opportunity to allow children to create on their own, to mold a personality other than what the real world wants them to be or not to be.