I saw this in the current NAE News and liked it.

Fostering Community:

Cultivating K-12 Public Visual Arts Education in our American Democracy

The arts serve a range of public purposes, and therefore are of benefit and concern to all Americans (The American Assembly, 1999). They help to shape what it means to be an American – connecting the nation’s identity to the reality of American pluralism, and in so doing advance democratic values both nationally and globally. The arts contribute to the quality of life and economic growth – enabling America to establish successful communities while increasing the nation’s prosperity. They help establish and maintain a well-informed and responsive citizenry – promoting deeper understandings about our diverse society by developing competencies both in school and at work, and by promoting the freedom to inquire in pursuit of the open exchange of ideas and values. And most importantly, [we] believe, the arts enhance the life of the individual by contributing to one’s potential and spirit.

Fostering Community in Civic Dialogue

The arts present a powerful force for shaping both the ethics and soul of a nation’s citizenry that can “define reality, shape the times, and give meaning to history” (Hunter, 1991, p. 225). The potential of the visual arts to make images indelible; to express challenging ideas through allegories, comparisons, and symbols; and to respond beyond the limits of verbal communication make it a powerful force for informing civic experiences (Bacon, Yuen, & Korza, 1999).

Shauck, R.B. (October 2009). The arts and public priorities. NAEA News, 51(5), 1-2.