Jyrell Keys
Board Member
Over the last fifteen years, Jyrell has dedicated himself to higher education. Currently serving as the Director of Award Management at DePaul University, Jyrell provides and maintains a network of support for faculty managing externally sponsored projects and creative activities.
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Through his own educational experience and research, Jyrell found that the value of arts in schools has been debated and tested for years, but today its benefits are firmly grounded in theory and research. Evidence demonstrates that arts education and aesthetic literacy/representation are crucial to closing the achievement gap. Learning experiences in the arts contribute to the development of academic skills. Proponents of arts education link six major types of benefits to the inclusion of the arts in education: reading and language skills, mathematics skills, thinking skills, social skills, motivation to learn, and a positive school environment.
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By integrating his educational experiences with personal passions, Jyrell believes that the concepts and principles around arts education can be applied to everyday life. Just as the arts can have positive and beneficial impacts on learners, public art can produce similar effects for everyday citizens. Public art can add tremendous value to the cultural, aesthetic, and economic vitality of a community.