Arts Alive! - December 2003

It seems William Butler, executive director of the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, was destined to make his living in the art world. "By the time I was six, I was already a serious artist. At that time, I remember my reply to my father when he asked what I wanted to be. I said, ’I want to draw pictures and get paid for it.’"

Most European and Asian children are taught and can speak several languages, including different dialects. Today’s American high school graduate may have completed four years of one language besides English. Rarely, however, do they have or make the opportunity to converse in that language outside the classroom.