Profound differences exist between the ways in which arts educators and artists personally value the arts and the rationales offered via arts advocacy campaigns for public arts support. The author argues that those discrepancies carry grave consequences for K-university arts education. The author describes means by which to better reconcile valuing the arts for their intrinsic qualities with intense political pressure to justify arts education in terms of its alleged ability to improve students' math and reading skills and to address concerns of social justice and economic development. This article was adapted from a keynote speech given by the author on 13 October 2006 for the 62nd annual meeting of The National Association of Schools of Art and Design.