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
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Quick Study: Dance on the Brain
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
We Know What You Did Last Summer
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
Quick Study: Arts Participation Rates at the State Level
In this episode, we look at a new NEA research report, 50 States of Arts Participation, to learn how patterns of art-going and art-making vary by state. A transcript is available here. … [Read more...] about Quick Study: Arts Participation Rates at the State Level
Federal Data on Reading for Pleasure: All Signs Show a Slump
A poet-friend of mine runs a blog that carries, as its tagline, “Would it kill you to read a #$%&% book?” To my ears, the slogan has come to sound less like a writer’s rant, or the crude appeal of a beleaguered parent, than a knee-jerk reaction to federal stats about reading in the U.S. Most recently, survey results from three different sources—the U.S. Bureau of Labor … [Read more...] about Federal Data on Reading for Pleasure: All Signs Show a Slump