Sunil Iyengar

I’ve used this space before to meditate on the long-term declines in literary reading, as observed by various federal surveys. Occasionally, such data points can provoke a response. Last month, for example, the publisher Hatchette Book Group announced a “Raising Readers” initiative “to help reverse trends showing steep declines in reading for fun among … [Read more...] about The Men-Women Split in Reading is Real—and Persists Amid Historical Rate Declines

In this episode, we discuss digital creators and how data can help illuminate a field marked by hybridity and rapidly evolving practice. A transcript is available on the NEA website. … [Read more...] about Quick Study: High-Def Data Needs for the Digital Arts

The January 2024 “Healing, Bridging, Thriving” summit at the NEA celebrated an ethos of cross-sectoral partnerships involving the arts in federal government. Memorable outcomes were an interagency working group led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the NEA, an impassioned speech by the Surgeon General, and an artists-in-residence pilot program at the … [Read more...] about Sending Off 2024—A Bumper Year for Cross-Agency Collaborations through the Arts

In this episode, we discuss recent developments in neuroscientific research on dance and creative movement. A transcript is available on the NEA website. … [Read more...] about Quick Study: Dance on the Brain

Among minor casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic—at least in my neighborhood— were troops of parents and young children going door to door for Halloween, wearing costumes with masks that were not N95s. In those years, leaving a bucket of candy out on the stoop with a “Have at it!” sign became an enduring option.  Back then, the diminution of trick-or-treaters reflected … [Read more...] about We Know What You Did Last Summer