Agenda Item # 11.2 - Richard Charvet | Received 05/12/2023CAUTION: This email originated from an External Source. Please use proper judgment and caution when opening
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From:
To:City Clerk; All Council Members
Subject:EXTERNAL - The Arts are what make us Human
Date:Friday, May 12, 2023 9:16:41 AM
Dear Mayor Blankely and Council Members:
Art saves lives. Healthy communities have a healthy art scene.
From Chicago to Boston to Washington, D.C., to Laguna Beach to San Luis Obispo and now to
Gilroy, I have seen and participated in “the magic of art.”
Gilroy is a canvas just waiting for more texture to complete a masterpiece.
I taught art to Gilroy youth for nearly 30 years (mostly at-risk). I volunteered with Kids Discover
Arts to make sure we “Kept the Arts Alive.” When I arrived in Gilroy, there wasn’t an art supply
store; there was no art center. I was at the Willey House with the Theater Arts Angels when we
planned the Gilroy Art Center. I bore witness to what the arts can do to change lives. I have taught
many of the people you know. Many of my former students have become published poets, artists,
and pillars of our community. One of my former students has recently opened “Pour Me” in
downtown Gilroy.
Art is a vital catalyst for dreams. It takes anger and replaces it with empathy, compassion, and
hope.
Don Krug states, "Learning about ideas can invite questions from students about their sense of
place in the world. What forms of inquiry are needed in order for students to investigate everyday
issues within their own communities nationally and globally? Life-centered approaches
encourage inquiry as a means for understanding ideas as part of lifelong learning. In this way,
learning is part of continuous processes of critically investigating and generating knowledge and
not acquiring content as an end in itself (Perkins and Blythe, 1994; Perrone, 1994). Life-centered
issues encompass a broad range of subjects and reflect interpretations of people's social interests
and differences.”
Sadly, art is the first to get cut in the school system, so…
“Keep the Arts Alive!”
I am in support of approving a Two-year Agreement with Silicon Valley Creates for an
Amount Not-to-exceed $50,000 for Funding the "Elevate Gilroy Through the Arts" Program.
This partnership will strengthen one of your City Council goals, and partnership with the
Gilroy Art’s & Culture Commission, Gilroy Arts Roundtable, and SV Creates. It will show the
region that we recognize the crucial role of arts, culture, and creativity in the lives of
everyone.
Sincerely,
Richard “Rick” Charvet
GUSD Retired Art Teacher
TICA Art Institute Chicago
TCAP Fellow
High School Dropout Specialist