FORT PIERCE —Sometimes the greatest lessons aren’t learned from a textbook. They’re discovered under stage lights, during rehearsals and through the friendships formed along the way.
Following Indian River State College’s decision to discontinue several performing and visual arts concentrations, many across the Treasure Coast are reflecting on what arts education has meant to students, families and the community.
According to Lindsay Skully, Assistant Vice President of Brand Experience, Marketing, Media and Brand for IRSC, the decision followed a review of enrollment trends, long-term sustainability and institutional priorities. She said the changes affect specific Associate in Arts concentrations, current students will complete their programs, and the McAlpin Fine Arts Center will continue hosting performances and expanding community partnerships.
For Sarah Bristol, the announcement brought back years of memories. With children who have participated in both Indian River Charter High School and the Vero Beach Theatre Guild, she’s watched the arts help shape confidence, friendships and personal growth.
“It’s helped each of my kids learn more about themselves and grow into the amazing humans they are today,” Bristol said. “The friendships they’ve built and the confidence they’ve gained will stay with them forever.”
Her daughter, Elise, discovered that confidence firsthand.
“Performing a scene in our Acting I showcase showed me that I can do hard things,” she said. “I’ve made friends and grown as a person.”
Ben Earman, Vice President of Tourism & Marketing for the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce and a Vero Beach Theatre Guild board member, believes those experiences reach far beyond the stage.
“Performing arts programs do far more than train actors, singers, dancers and artists,” Earman said. “They help develop confidence, communication skills, creativity, discipline, collaboration and leadership.”
“The arts create a family and a place of acceptance,” he added. “Some of life’s most important lessons came not from being on stage, but from everything that happened behind the scenes.”
That message resonates with Jon R. Moses, Executive Producer and CEO of Riverside Theatre, whose own journey began at IRSC.
“My connection to IRSC’s arts program is deeply personal,” Moses said. “I began at age 12 in a production of Oliver. Over the next decade, I participated in nearly 100 productions, experiences that ultimately led me to a career in professional theatre.”
Moses believes arts education strengthens not only future artists, but entire communities.
“If opportunities for arts education become more limited, communities risk losing more than training grounds for artists,” he said. “They stand to lose cultural vibrancy, economic impact and the unique ability of the arts to bring people together.”
While IRSC’s academic offerings are changing, one message echoed throughout the conversations: the arts leave a lasting mark. Whether the path leads to a stage, a classroom, a business or somewhere entirely different, the lessons learned through creativity, teamwork and perseverance have a way of staying with people long after the final curtain falls.