Art education is extremely beneficial to all students, regardless of their ability, and maintaining a balanced art education is vital to the success of any art program. In order to remain competitive in today’s world of education, it is no longer enough to solely rely on studio-based instruction. The incorporation of art history, aesthetics, and art criticism, are essential components to the future success of art education. For example, art history gives students a glimpse into understanding various cultures and perspectives, aesthetics helps students comprehend what makes something art and forces them to ask critical inquiry questions, and art criticism encourages reflective thought, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. The infinite versatility art education allows for is boldly different from other subject areas where there are perhaps fewer opportunities for open-ended learning, making it a highly positive and refreshing outlet for students. The processes required in art making engage multiple areas of the brain and elicit creativity and problem solving skills, allowing students to form connections across subject areas. It also provides the perfect opportunity for students to think “outside of the box” and exercise creative thinking, which is vital for flourishing a vibrant society in a perpetual state of flux. Additionally, there is vast potential for personable instruction, which allows for any lesson to be adapted to meet the needs or personality of each individual student, infusing personal meaning and connections with each studio work. Maintaining this constructivist learning environment is significantly important for the art classroom, especially as it leads to self-discovery and identity exploration. For elementary students, the art room is a place to discover and make sense of their surroundings through the study and production of art. For middle school students, art is about shaping their identities through creative and artistic endeavors, refining their skill sets. Lastly, for high school students, art is primarily about being challenged, experimentation, and exploring innovation with a developed confidence in their artistic ability. A quality, balanced, holistic art curriculum holds the power to give students strengthened critical thinking skills, a deeper understanding of self, an appreciation for diversity and multiple perspectives, and enhanced creative and innovative thinking skills, and I hope to provide my future students with such opportunities.