But meeting the standards cannot, and should not, imply that every student will acquire a particular set of artistic values. Ultimately, students are responsible for their own artistic values. Standards provide a positive and substantive framework for those who teach young people why and how the visual arts are valuable to them as persons and as participants in a shared culture. The affirmations below describe what happens when the standards, students, and their teachers come together. The visual arts are a way of knowing.
Students grow in their ability to comprehend their world when they learn the arts.
As they create visual works of art, they learn how to express themselves and how to communicate with others. The visual arts provide forms of nonverbal communication that strengthen the presentation of ideas and emotions. The visual arts play a valued role in shaping cultures and building civilizations. The visual arts significantly contribute to creating understanding among the people of diverse ethnic cultures and civilizations. The visual arts have value and significance for daily life.