I am proposing a new holiday for Jan. 18: “Hug an Art Major Day.” The holiday will be aimed at showing art majors how much we appreciate them and need their work in our society.
Art is usually given a backseat in school curriculums. But it has the ability to inspire us to think critically and to give us personal fulfillment — two important steps on the path to mental well-being.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, visual and performing arts has consistently been one of the least popular majors, and UNC is no exception.
According to data from the UNC Registrar, for the 2010 spring semester, only about 2.8 percent of undergraduates were majoring in studio art, music or dramatic art.
Compare that with the percentage of UNC students enrolled in social sciences majors (16 percent) or biology (8 percent).
Why is the number of art majors so small? One reason is that the arts are often seen as merely a hobby, and there is a fear that majoring in the arts will not earn you enough money and will not give you the power to bring about real social or political change.
Consequently, students looking for a “real” major often choose a major in business or the sciences, thinking that these majors will give them better tools to make changes in the world than a major in the arts ever could.
However, art is an integral part of our society and contributes to society’s betterment in several ways.
For one, art actually does have the power to create social and political change by revealing things about society that others may overlook.