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The Daily Tar Heel

Hug an art major: they need the love

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.

For example — in light of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday yesterday — the African American Civil Rights Movement was helped along by black artists, such as poet Langston Hughes.

Hughes wrote in his poems about his belief in human equality and color-blind brotherhood.

Art also brings our attention to the pleasures in life that our busy schedules often prevent us from enjoying.

The generations before us worked hard to ensure that we would have comfortable lives made convenient by technology. Art is just as important to personal fulfillment in modern life as any other aspect.

Creating and enjoying art can allow us to better enjoy and celebrate the world around us.

The Greeks taught us that human life is too short not to be filled with pleasure. This is an important philosophy that we often forget.

The contributions that art brings to social and political movements and the important messages it can give us about enjoying life are in danger of becoming forgotten, since such a small number of UNC students choose to major in art.

So it is our duty to show all art majors and future artists that we appreciate them and need their art in our lives.

And underclassmen, if you are looking to make a difference in society, a major in the arts is not to be overlooked.

Sarah Dugan is the Wellness & Wellbeing columnist. She is a senior environmental health science major from Asheville. Contact her at sdugan@email.unc.edu.

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