Arts Research

2005, 12 pages. Americans for the Arts, 1000 Vermont Northwest, 6th floor, Washington, DC, 20005, 202-371-2830, www.artsusa.org

This monograph explores the role of culture in diplomacy with a specific focus on international cultural exchange. Case histories and examples of successful efforts are used to make the case for greater public support of cultural exchange programs.

2005, 28 pages. California Alliance for Arts Education, 495 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA, 91191, 626-578-9315.

This briefing paper describes the benefits of arts learning for all students, current policies in the state of California and nationwide supporting arts education in public schools, and current implementation practices affecting access and equity. It also offers policy recommendations.

2005, 174 pages. Theatre Communications Group, 355 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10017-0217, 212-697-5230.

Launched in 1999, the National Theatre Artist Residency Program was designed to foster both new and expanded relationships between theaters and artists through grants for long-term residencies. This volume documents the experiences of the 135 artists and 99 theaters that participated in the program through 2005, and provides an in-depth analysis of the many challenges and opportunities they faced.

2005, 36 pages. Alliance of Artists Communities, 255 Main Street, Providence, RI, 02903, 410-351-4320.

This report documents an initiative of the Alliance of Artists Communities to answer the question, "What does California look like to its artists?" Reflections and work of seven artists in different residency programs provide a snapshot of the state from a range of cultural perspectives. Engaging photographs by Kim Harrington supplement the text.

We live in a world of "widespread hostility toward the United States and its policies."1 This antipathy is not limited to the countries and peoples that are directly affected by the U.S. "war on terror" and its attendant pol-icies, but includes many of our former allies and fellow democracies. A friend who just returned from a year in Spain reports that she spent a significant amount of time and energy convincing people she met there that the U.S.

Can you explain, in simple terms, how you or someone you know is changed by listening to music, watching a dance performance, looking at an artwork, or writing in a journal? I’d be hard pressed to manage a coherent response.

It’s not easy to talk about how art transforms or how we are different because of it. Many who work in the arts, including those of us who do so because of our belief in the transformative power of art, lack a vernacular for communicating its impacts.

Under Marian Godfrey's direction, GIA held a pre-conference immediately before its 2005 conference called "New Directions in Cultural Policy Research." As part of that meeting, four well-respected individuals were asked to assess the impact and importance of research in the arts. They were asked to specify the big ideas currently in play and to speculate about the future of those ideas. Predictably perhaps, the four argued for the importance of research to the cultural sector. More surprisingly, they agreed that the platform for cultural research needs serious re-planking.

2005, $16.95. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 212-609-5900.

As a coach and a longtime journalist, I know that the most powerful question is: "What did you learn?" You'll get an answer every time that is real, and relevant.

Civic Dialogue, Arts & Culture
Findings from Animating Democracy
Pam Korza, Barbara Schaffer Bacon, and Andrea Assaf
2005, 312 pages, $24. Americans for the Arts, Washington DC, ISBN-13: 978-1-879903-33-3 (alk. paper)
Available online from Americans for the Arts

Cultural Perspectives in Civic Dialogue
Case Studies from Animating Democracy
Pam Korza and Barbara Schaffer Bacon

2004, 18 pages. Los Angeles County Arts Commission, 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, 213-974-1343

Download pdf: www.lacountyarts.org/artsed/docs/artsedu_artsforall09-02.pdf