DATE

TOPIC

PRESENTERS

Thursday,
Feb. 8, 2001

The Future of the Performing Arts in America

Kevin McCarthy & Arthur Brooks
The RAND Corporation 

The best of times or the worst of times? Many observers of arts and culture in the United States at the dawn of the 21st century aren't sure. The Pew Charitable Trusts have commissioned the RAND Corporation to investigate the arts landscape in an effort to answer this question. This presentation exhibits the highlights of RAND's research. 

Thursday,
Mar. 1, 2001

Art and Culture through a Neighborhood Lens: Implications for the Development of Cultural Policy

Maria-Rosario Jackson & Joaquin Herranz
The Urban Institute

How are art and culture valued at the neighborhood level? How can they be integrated into broader policy and planning discussions about neighborhood well-being? This project studies the ways residents, community builders, artists, and arts administrators who live and work in a neighborhood perceive the role of arts and culture in it. By better understanding the complex relationship between neighborhood and culture, the project aims to provide tools for creating policies and programs that can improve quality of life, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods. 

Friday,
Mar. 16, 2001

The Social Impact of the Informal Arts in Chicago Neighborhoods

Alaka Wali, Center for Cultural Understanding and Change, The Field Museum,
& Elena Marcheschi, Columbia College Chicago Center for Arts Policy

The multitude of creative artistic experiences that fall outside traditional non-profit and commercial settings are known as "unincorporated" or "informal" arts. This research investigates the composition of the informal portion of the arts sector within specific communities, studying its relationship to the non-profit and commercial parts of the sector, and exploring its social impact on participants, their communities, and beyond.

Thursday,
Mar. 29, 2001

Getting Down to the Basics: Fundamental Research into Cultural Preferences and Success

Don Coursey, The University of Chicago Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies,
& Colm O'Muircheartaigh, The Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies & NORC

Two new projects at the University of Chicago explore innovative ways to measure the basic but elusive experiences at the heart of a cultural institution’s success. Professor Coursey examines the ways people make decisions about investing time in cultural activities, and Professor O’Muircheartaigh is developing a sophisticated new survey instrument to accurately assess the aesthetic experiences of museum visitors.