How interviewing local artists can help students see art's impact on American society

Art is a conversation. It speaks in colors, textures, and forms, yes—but it also speaks in stories, in the way a neighborhood milepost changes after a mural goes up, or in the way a gallery wall can spark a city’s pride or debate. When high school students try to grasp how art functions in the United States, the clearest doorway isn’t just a lecture on styles or a compare-and-contrast essay. It’s a real, human exchange—the kind you have when you sit down with someone who creates for a living and asks, “What does your work say about our world?”

That’s why the strongest activity to help students appreciate art’s role in U.S. society is conducting interviews with local artists. This approach isn’t about nostalgia for a famous painter or a retrospective on a shiny new sculpture. It’s about listening to live voices—artists who are part of the daily fabric of communities, schools, and neighborhoods. When students hear how artists respond to current events, funding challenges, community needs, or cultural identity, they catch a glimpse of how art can reflect, critique, and shape society.

Let’s unpack why this choice stands out and how a teacher or facilitator can make the experience meaningful, even in a busy school day.

Why interviews beat a checklist of styles or a one-time mural

• Real people, real voices: Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It lives in studios, on street corners, in classrooms, and at town meetings. Speaking with artists helps students hear the invisible threads—the intentions, constraints, and hopes—that shape creative work. It’s a bridge from theory to lived reality.

• Relevance to community: When students interview artists who are rooted in their own city or town, they see art as part of civic life. They learn that funding decisions, public policy, and community programs influence what gets made and shown—and that artists often contribute to debates about who gets to tell which stories.

• Diversity of perspectives: Oklahoma’s cultural landscape, like everywhere else, is a tapestry. Interviews can feature painters, printmakers, muralists, designers, ceramicists, photographers, and performance artists from varied backgrounds. That variety reveals how art can respond to different experiences, languages, and social contexts.

• Development of transferable skills: Asking thoughtful questions, listening with intent, noting details, and analyzing responses are skills that transfer beyond art class. Students practice critical thinking, media literacy, and the ability to connect personal observations to larger cultural currents.

• Personal connection fuels curiosity: When a student hears that an artist faced a setback, or that a mural once sparked local debate, the topic becomes human rather than abstract. Curiosity follows authenticity, and authenticity fuels deeper learning.

A quick look at the alternatives—and why they’re helpful, but not as comprehensive

• Comparing modern and classical styles: This is a solid exercise for understanding aesthetics, technique, and history. It trains eye and mind, but it tends to keep the focus on artworks themselves, not on how those works come to be tied to social life today.

• Painting murals on school grounds: Murals can ignite pride, teamwork, and community dialogue. They offer a tangible, tactile experience and a public-facing outcome. Yet, while the act is powerful, it may not illuminate the broader societal conversations that shape art-making in everyday life.

• Writing an essay comparing the influence of two famous American artists: This builds evidence-based reasoning and cultural literacy. It’s valuable for developing analytical clarity, but it can miss the immediacy of current voices and the direct connection between art and social dynamics.

In short, interviews with local artists bring students face-to-face with the social and political conversations that art both reflects and influences. They’re invited into the heart of the art ecosystem—the studios, the grants meetings, the commissioning brief, the community advisory group. That exposure is what helps a student appreciate not just what art looks like, but why it matters.

Getting started: how to design a meaningful interview experience

• Define a purpose, then loosen the leash: Start with a few guiding questions about how art shapes the community, what inspires the artist, and how projects address local issues. Then give students room to listen and follow interesting threads. The goal isn’t to check a box; it’s to cultivate curiosity.

• Choose a diverse mix of artists: If possible, select creators who work in different genres, scales, and contexts—someone who paints public portraits, another who works in digital media, a ceramicist who runs a neighborhood studio, a photojournalist who documents daily life, etc. Variety broadens understanding of how art functions in society.

• Prepare respectful, open-ended questions: Examples include:

• What inspired your current project, and how does it connect to the community around you?

• Have you ever faced skepticism or barriers as an artist? How did you respond?

• How do funding, schools, and local policy influence the work you can create?

• In what ways can art spark conversations about identity, values, or change?

• If a student wanted to support the arts in their town, what would you suggest?

• Plan for accessibility and ethics: Obtain consent, be mindful of recording norms, and respect artists’ time. If a student plans to publish quotes or use audio/video, make sure permissions are clear and properly attributed.

• Emphasize listening and note-taking over rapid interviewing: The best moments often come from a pause, a follow-up, or a story that veers off the script. Encourage students to jot not just what was said, but what the artist felt, what surprised them, and what felt personally meaningful.

• Turn impressions into bigger questions: After interviews, guide students to connect what they heard with broader societal themes—how art shapes identity, how it can protest or heal, how it contributes to community memory, and how it interacts with history and policy.

A practical blueprint for the classroom

• Step 1: Plan a short slate of interviews (one to three sessions, 30-40 minutes each) with local artists who are accessible—perhaps artists who run community centers, gallery spaces, or school-based studios.

• Step 2: Prepare a collaborative listening space: a quiet corner with laptops or recording devices, a comfortable seating arrangement, and a way to share quotes or notes publicly with the class.

• Step 3: Conduct and capture: Students interview, then transcribe or summarize key points. If possible, include short video or audio clips to illustrate the artist’s voice.

• Step 4: Synthesize and reflect: In small groups, students identify common themes, surprising discoveries, and connections to societal issues. Then craft a short reflective piece or a class post that explains how art can reflect and influence the world.

• Step 5: Share with the broader school or community: A mini-gallery, a panel, or a digital exhibit can give students a sense of contribution and responsibility toward the cultural life of their town.

What to listen for and what it reveals about society

• Voices about identity and culture: How do artists express heritage, language, or community memory through their work? This helps students see art as a repository of shared stories.

• Stories about access and equity: Who can participate in artistic life? What barriers exist? How do artists navigate funding, space, and opportunities?

• The politics of public art: Public pieces, murals, and installations often provoke discussion about who gets to shape public spaces and whose stories are valued.

• The role of art in resilience and healing: In times of stress or conflict, what role does art play in communities? What messages do artists aim to convey, and how do audiences respond?

A gentle nudge toward lasting understanding

Art isn’t just something you view; it’s something you enter into—conversation, collaboration, and sometimes conflict. Interview-based explorations teach students to listen for nuance, differentiate between opinion and evidence, and appreciate how artists interpret the big questions of life in concrete forms. This approach also mirrors how society itself works: diverse voices, competing ideas, and creative problem-solving that moves culture forward.

A few real-world touchpoints to keep the curiosity alive

• Look to Oklahoma’s own scene: Urban galleries, tribal arts, and community centers often host artist talks, open studios, and small exhibitions that welcome newcomers. Attending these events or reading artist interviews can complement classroom experiences with fresh, local context.

• Use reliable sources for inspiration: Museums’ education pages, artist-in-residence programs, and local arts councils frequently publish interview clips and artist statements. These can model how to frame questions, interpret responses, and connect art to social themes.

• Invite a continuing dialogue: After the initial set of interviews, consider a recurring format—monthly artist chats, a student-curated online mini-exhibit, or a collaborative zine. A living, ongoing conversation makes the idea of art in society feel immediate and personal.

A closing thought: art as a lens, not just a picture

When students speak with living artists, they learn to view art as a lens through which society examines itself. They hear how creators respond to the world—whether with quiet reflection, bold protest, playful humor, or careful documentation. They hear about risk, resilience, and the daily choices that shape a piece of work. And they realize that art’s reach isn’t limited to galleries or museums; it extends into schools, streets, and shared spaces where people imagine together what comes next.

If you’re guiding learners on a journey to understand art’s place in U.S. society, start with a simple invitation: “Let’s talk with someone who makes art and lives in our community.” The conversation that follows will likely reveal more about why art matters than any textbook page ever could. And who knows? It might spark a lifelong curiosity about how creativity keeps moving a neighborhood, a city, and a country forward.