One of my former colleagues used to complain that arts funders and administrators are “data paupers.” This must have been more than a decade ago. Even at the time, I questioned the assertion, but nowadays it may provoke stares. I mean, far from experiencing an arts data shortage, it often feels as though we’re swimming in the stuff. Quite apart from the increasingly … [Read more...] about Making Space for Indigenous Practices in Government Data about the Arts
Quick Study: Arts-Based Research Methods
In this episode, we consider “different ways of knowing”: how arts-based research can inform our understanding about—well—the arts. A transcript is available here. . … [Read more...] about Quick Study: Arts-Based Research Methods
Buyer’s Remorse in Higher Education—Some Questions for the Arts
In January 2014, President Obama caught flak from art historians when, speaking at a General Electric manufacturing plant in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he casually referred to their field of study. “I promise you,” he said, “folks can make a lot more potentially with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree.” Immediately, Obama qualified his … [Read more...] about Buyer’s Remorse in Higher Education—Some Questions for the Arts
Quick Study: K-12 Access to Arts Education
In this episode, we consider a recent analysis about the availability of arts education in public K-12 schools. A transcript is available here. … [Read more...] about Quick Study: K-12 Access to Arts Education
The Tenth Anniversary of an Arts System Map: How Are We Doing?
A decade ago this month, for the first time in its history, the NEA announced a five-year research agenda dedicated to examining the arts as an ecosystem. What factors influence the health of that system, we wanted to know; of what discrete and measurable parts does the system consist, and what types of outcomes result when the system is in action? Hang on, you think—this is … [Read more...] about The Tenth Anniversary of an Arts System Map: How Are We Doing?