MADISON—The Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education will hold its first meeting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison.

Appointed by Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton and State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster, task force members represent leaders in education, government, business, and citizen groups. The task force will address the essential role of arts and creativity in education and in cultivating an innovative, entrepreneurial workforce. It will focus on planning and making recommendations for various public agencies, organizations, and businesses to use in strengthening arts and creativity education in the state.

“Creativity and innovation will be the cornerstone of Wisconsin’s competitive workforce in the years ahead,” Lawton said.  “This impressive group gathers decades of collective experience, a deep well of knowledge and a strong commitment to Wisconsin. I am confident they will guide us to make the smart, strategic investments we need to ensure Wisconsin the bright innovators and entrepreneurs we need to drive our state forward.”

“Advances in science, business, technology, and service industries come from those who think in new ways. Students who are involved in the arts have an opportunity to develop skills that are the foundation of creativity and innovation,” Burmaster said. “Strengthening arts education in our schools and communities will ensure Wisconsin’s leadership in the emerging creative economy.”

To help inform its work, the task force will invite the public and representatives of various state and local arts organizations to testify at public forums on strategies to expand arts and creativity education in Wisconsin. The task force will look for ways to expand the reach of arts and creativity education and encourage partnerships among school and community arts education programs. It will make recommendations to align arts and creativity education with high school graduation and postsecondary education as well as with workforce needs and entrepreneurial development, and to diversify arts education programs to include 21st century art forms.

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NOTE: A list of the members of the Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education follows. This news release is available electronically at http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/pdf/dpi2008_68.pdf.