The education faculty has partnered with the Langley Fine Arts School (LFAS) and Research for Youth Music and Education (RYME) to present Arts Matter, a public lecture series celebrating the arts and promoting arts education.

Leading Canadian artists and advocates will speak to LFAS students, teachers, families and community members about the importance of art and its role in both personal expression and social change.

Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in education, creativity and innovation, kicked-off the series Oct. 14 at the school’s Chief Sepass Theatre. Other planned speakers include:

• Margie Gillis, choreographer and dancer, Nov. 18
• Tony Scherman, encaustic painter, Feb. 3, 2012
• Bramwell Tovey, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra music director, Feb. 24

“We want to find ways of increasing opportunities for young people to engage in artistic learning and creative expression in both their schools and communities,” says series co-organizer and SFU education associate professor, Susan O’Neill.

Helping young people appreciate the arts and support artistic learning and expression requires school, home and community involvement,” says O’Neill.

Additional Arts Matter events in 2012 include a post-secondary forum on Jan. 13 and an arts educators’ workshop on Feb. 17.

SFU education students will also conduct research around the speaker series. The Arts Matter Learning project will challenge LFAS students to reflect on their own arts activities and the benefits they derive from them.

“The research will document both the processes involved in developing the project, the long-term learning benefits and engagement of the students, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of different curriculum approaches and strategies created for the project,” O’Neill says.

In addition, she says the project will explore student, teacher and parent beliefs and values about the arts and their experiences with artistic learning during their years of involvement with the school.

For more information, visit www.lfasartsmatter.com.