NEA Announces Federal Interagency Research Task Force on the Arts and Human Development

The National Endowment for the Arts will present the first-ever federal Interagency Research Task Force on the Arts and Human Development at a free webinar on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 10:00am EST / 7:00am PST.

Earlier this year, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius convened a day-long research summit to explore the role of the arts and human development across the life span. A white paper published from that convening pointed to many studies that have found links between the arts and positive cognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes.

However, most of this research is small-scale and short-term, leaving major gaps in federally sponsored research on the role of the arts in human development.

The white paper calls for the establishment of a federal interagency task force to address those gaps and build a community of researchers working in this area.

You may attend the webinar that will feature representatives from more than a dozen federal agencies for the release of the white paper and the announcement of a new interagency research task force on the role of the arts in human development across the lifespan.

Guests and speakers

  • Rocco Landesman, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
  • A representative from the U.S. Department of Education
  • Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Kathy Mann Koepke, Director, Mathematics and Science Cognition and Learning, Development and Disorders Program, Childhood Development and Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health & Development
  • Sunil Iyengar, NEA Director of Research & Analysis, will moderate the webinar

How to join the webinar

The webinar is open to the public. No pre-registration is required is needed. To join the webinar:

  1. Go to http://artsgov.adobeconnect.com/taskforce/
  2. Check the "Enter as Guest" button. Type in your name and click "Enter Room" to join.

You may listen using your computer's speakers or dial-in to 1-877-685-5350 and use participant code: 942738

An archive of the webinar will be available on December 1st at www.arts.gov/research/convenings

A copy of the white paper will be available on www.arts.gov on November 30, 2011.