Giving Compass' Take:

• American for the Arts profiles Anna Lisa Caraveo Flores, Director of Pablove Shutterbugs, to get her thoughts on starting out in arts education and developing community leaders.

• How can we use arts education effectively in youth development? Which programs need the most resources?

• Here's why shrinking budgets in this area deepen inequalities.

I often get questions from up and coming leaders about what it takes to “break in” to the arts education field. I can relate — I love the career path that I’ve taken and yes, arts education can feel like a specific field that no one really envisions themselves doing from a young age. I fell into the profession with no set path but a vision of wanting to do good and contribute to a more just and equitable society. While I have a background in multicultural education, and was able to eventually blend my academic training and my interest in visual arts to impact communities that do not have access to formal and experiential programs in the arts, for many like myself the path is far from being clear cut. What’s more, the arts landscape has changed dramatically in just the last few years alone.

To bridge that gap and to offer readers a recent example of a person who has transitioned into informal arts education, I had the opportunity to interview my colleague Anna Lisa Caraveo Flores, Director of Pablove Shutterbugs, about her journey by way of The Pablove Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that approaches childhood cancer through art and science.

"Look for organizations whose missions are in direct alignment with your values and aspirations," she says. "Once you’re in contact with them, learn all you can about who they are, what they do, and the driving force behind their work."

Read the full article about breaking into the field of arts education by Jane Cheung at Americans for the Arts.