NEA Report Details Research Agenda, Measurement Model
The new report How Art Works: The National Endowment for the Arts' Five-Year Research Agenda, with a System Map and Measurement Model is now available online and was discussed in a forum held at American University on September 20 (see the live-blogging of the event from Ian David Moss). From the report's preface, by NEA Director of Research & Analysis Sunil Iyengar:
This document sets forth the National Endowment for the Arts’ five-year agenda for research, but it does more than that. It provides a conceptual frame for planning and assessing research priorities so that the NEA can improve its ability to meet a core goal: To Promote Knowledge and Understanding about the Contributions of the Arts.
..
The rationale for this approach was two-fold. First, much of the NEA’s past research on arts and culture has responded directly to the availability of specific datasets; to that extent, such research has been largely descriptive and reactive, rather than theory-driven and pro-active. The second reason for attempting to outline “how art works” is that a theory of change would enable us better to study the arts as a complete system, and thus allow us more clearly to define the arts’ “value” and “impact.” Understanding those terms is crucial if the NEA is to track progress on achieving its strategic outcome for all research activity: Evidence of the Value and Impact of the Arts is Expanded and Promoted.
