Category: Research Sharing

1. Abigail Gilmore. Cultural Trends 26:1, 34-46. “The Park and the Commons: Vernacular Spaces for Everyday Participation and Cultural Value.” 2017. United Kingdom. This article looks at public parks as vernacular spaces for everyday participation, drawing on empirical research, including ethnographic fieldwork, household interviews and focus groups, and community engagement.

2. Gwendolyn W. Saul and Diana E. Marsh. Museum Anthropology 41:2. “In Whose Honor? On Monuments, Public Spaces, Historical Narratives, and Memory.” 2018. United States. In this context of charged public discourse on Confederate monuments, the authors discuss whether the immediate removal of these statues and monuments changes the representation of histories and heritage.

3. Robert Hewison. Apollo International Arts Magazine. “The culture secretary has no business threatening museums.” 2020. United Kingdom. A recent letter from Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has stirred up controversy around contested heritage and government non-interference in arts and heritage matters. 

4. Aaron Wiener. The Knight Foundation. “Common Goals, Different Approaches: How Five Cities Reimagined Their Public Spaces.” 2019. United States. This three-year national initiative was launched in 2016 with the announcement of a $40 million investment in public spaces in four cities: Detroit; Memphis; Akron; and Chicago.

5. Waldemar Cudny and Hakan Appelblad. Norwegian Journal of Geography 73:5, 273-289. “Monuments and Their Functions in Urban Public Space.” 2020. Poland. The aim of the article is to present and discuss functions of public monuments in relation to different dimensions of geographical space.

6. Brandon Baker. University of Pennsylvania. “Reflections on public spaces in the age of COVID.” 2020. United States. In an interview with “Penn Today,” Ken Lum and Paul Farber of the Weitzman School of Design reflect on how public spaces are observed through a new lens during the pandemic.

7. Nora Greani. Cahiers d’études africaines 227:3, 495-514. “Public monuments in the twenty-first century.” 2017. Africa. This special report is dedicated to the study of contemporary monumentality in Sub-Saharan Africa.

1) Brea M. Heidelberg. Cultural Trends 28:5, 391-403. “Evaluating equity: assessing diversity efforts through a social justice lens.” 2019. United Kingdom. This paper provides a formative evaluation of The Art Institute of Chicago’s initial efforts to diversify the museum field through the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI) programme.

2) Jeremy Vachet. Cultural Trends 26:3, 272-274. “Creative justice: cultural industries, work and inequality.” 2017. Ireland. Book review of “Creative Justice,” an account of the need to give justice to culture by Mark Banks, Professor in the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Leicester.

3) Heather Carey, Rebecca Florisson, Dave O Brien, and Neil Lee. Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Center. “Getting in and getting on: Class, participation and job quality in the UK creative industries.” 2020. United Kingdom. Prior to the pandemic, there were growing concerns that the opportunities created in the creative economy were ‘out of reach’ for many. This paper represents the first phase of the PEC’s Policy Review Series on Class in the Creative Industries.

4) Arts Emergency, Orian Brook, Mark Taylor, and David O’Brien. Create London. “Panic! Social class, taste and inequalities in the creative sector.” 2019. United Kingdom. This report demonstrates that the creative industries are marked by significant inequalities. It looks at the social class background of the workforce and how this intersects with other issues.

5) Emily Matchar. Smithsonian Magazine. “Does Creativity Breed Inequality in Cities?” 2017. United States. Interview with Richard Florida on his book “The New Urban Crisis.”

6) Aline Moch Islas, Casey Moser, Shomya Tripathy, and Louie Tan Vital. University of Washington. “Assessing the Creative Economy of Seattle through a Racial & Equity Lens.” 2019. United States. This report lays out policy options to mitigate racial disparities in the creative economy in Seattle.

1. Steven Hadley, Patrick Collins and Maria O’Brien. Cultural Trends 29:2, 145-159. “Culture 2025 A National Cultural Policy Framework for Ireland.” 2020. Ireland. Published in January 2020, Culture 2025 A National Cultural Policy Framework for Ireland is the first single national cultural policy in Ireland since the formation of the Irish State in 1922.

2. Bethany Rex. Cultural Trends 29:2, 129-144. “Roses for everyone? Arts Council England’s 2020–2030 Strategy.” 2020. United Kingdom. In this review article, Rex critically reflects on the ambitions set out in Arts Council England’s 10-year strategy “Let’s Create”.

3. Arts Council England. “Let’s Create: Strategy 2020-2030.” 2020. United Kingdom. This report is a cultural plan from Arts Council England with a vision of the creative landscape of the United Kingdom for 2020-2030.

4. Government of South Australia. “Arts & Culture Plan South Australia, 2019 – 2024.” Australia. 2019. Following extensive community and industry consultation, the Arts and Culture Plan South Australia 2019-2024 was developed to guide the growth of and investment in the state’s leadership in the arts and cultural sector.

5. The Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Government of Ireland. “Culture 2025: A National Cultural Policy Framework to 2025.” 2020. Ireland. This document sets out an overarching vision and framework for the future of culture in Ireland and outlines the plans for action over the coming years.

6. Arts Council of Ireland. “Making Great Art Work: Leading the Development of the Arts in Ireland.” 2016 Ireland. This plan describes the investment strategies, projects and programmes Arts Council will prioritise during 2017–2019 and sets out the achievements and milestones we have set ourselves over this period.

7. National Endowment for the Arts.  “Strategic Plan FY 2018-2022.” 2018. United States. A strategic plan from the National Endowment for the Arts for fiscal years 2018-2020.

8. New England Foundation for the Arts. “Strategic Plan 2018-2021.” 2017. United States. In February 2017, the New England Foundation for the Arts crafted a three-year plan that is both comprehensive and adaptable to changing conditions.

1. Steven Hadley and Clive Gray. Cultural Trends 26:2. “Hyperinstrumentalism and Cultural Policy: Means to an End or an End to Meaning?” 2017. United Kingdom.

This paper investigates the implications for cultural policy of the logic of the instrumental view of culture taken to its conclusion.

2. Eleanora Belfiore. Cultural Trends 26:3. “Cultural Policy Research in the Real World: Curating ‘Impact,’ Facilitating ‘Enlightenment.” 2016. United KIngdom.

This article argues that policy relevance and influence represent legitimate goals of critical research, which does not necessarily mean accepting the pressures and restrictions of arts advocacy and lobbying, or the relinquishing research excellence.

3. Arlene Goldbard. U.S. Department of Arts and Culture. “Standing for Cultural Democracy: The USDAC’s Policy and Action Platform Summary.” 2016. United States.

In this platform, the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture describes ten ways to advance toward cultural democracy, a social order which embodies and affirms the right to culture in every aspect of our public and private policies.

4. District of Columbia Office of Planning. “DC Cultural Plan: Executive Summary.” 2019. United States.

The Cultural Plan establishes a framework to inclusively grow the District’s cultural community informed by the Office of Planning’s experience in community development, land use, systems planning, public facilities and infrastructure

5. Hilda L. Solis and Sheila Kuehl. Los Angeles County Arts Commission. “Adoption of the Countywide Cultural Policy.” 2020. United States.

This is a motion from the LA County Arts Commission for adoption of a county-wide cultural policy.

6. Jennifer Craik. ANU Press. “How Can Cultural Sub-Sectors Respond?: Three Indicative Case Studies.” 2007. Australia.

This chapter examines some sub-sectors that have challenged prevailing policy approaches to the management of culture.

7. Government of Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts. “Indigenous Arts and Culture Action Plan 2012-2014.” 2014. Australia.

A growing number of Indigenous artists are sharing their significant stories through artistic mediums. The Department of Culture and the Arts supports this sector as part of its vision for a community enriched by unique and transforming arts and culture.

1. Douglas S Noonan. Cultural Trends, Vol 22, No 3-4. “How US Cultural Districts Reshape Neighbourhoods.” 2013. United Kingdom.

This article describes the phenomenon of cultural districts in the US, reviews some claims made about their impacts, and provides evidence of districts’ effects.

2. Geoffrey Crossick. Global Cultural Districts Network. “The Social Impact of Cultural Districts.” 2019. United Kingdom.

This report analyses the different ways social impact is defined; draws out current good practice, highlighting gaps and challenges; and suggests a framework and principles for future action.

3. Jessica Cusick and Maria Rosario Jackson. California Arts Council. “Cultural Districts Development Program.” 2016. United States.

This report was prepared by the California Arts Council to encourage the development of a broad array of authentic and sustainable cultural districts that reflect the breadth and diversity of California’s cultural assets.

4. Chung Hagen Consulting. Mission Local. “Exploring an Expansion of the Latino Cultural District.” 2019. United States.

This study from Chung Hagen Consulting looks at how to stabilize and expand the Latino Cultural District in San Francisco by synthesizing findings from interviews, focus groups, and community meetings.

5. Egle Rindzeviciute. International Journal of Cultural Policy, Vol 25, No 4. Book Review of “Scenescapes: How Qualities of Place Shape Social Life.” 2019. United States.

Egle Rindzeviciute reviews “Scenescapes,” a book by Daniel Aaron Silver and Terry Nichols Clark that looks at how localities shape social, cultural, and economic lives.

1. Andries van den Broek. Cultural Trends Vol 22, No 1. “Arts Participation and the Three Faces of Time.” United Kingdom. 2013.

This article looks at how arts participation in the US has been influenced by the imprint of time (early life, socialization, and historical circumstances) on preferences and behavioral patterns.

2. Alan Brown, Jennifer Novak-Leonard, and Shelly Gilbride. The James Irvine Foundation. “Getting in on the Act: How arts groups are creating opportunities for active participation.” 2011. United States.

This report and case studies of illustrative projects help provide a better understanding of how people are engaging in the arts, and of how arts organizations are enabling this involvement. Researchers at WolfBrown investigated active arts participation across the arts sector in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, learning from more than 100 organizations currently engaging in participatory arts.

3. François Matarasso. Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. “A Restless Art: How participation won, and why it matters.” 2019. United Kingdom.

Community-arts researcher and advocate Francois Matarasso presents a book on participatory art and community art written from the perspective of engagement.

4. Harder and Company Community Research. The James Irvine Foundation. “Innovation and Impact: When Arts Organizations Take Risks.” 2019. United States.

This concluding evaluation report on the Exploring Engagement Fund offers insights, best practices, and considerations for arts organizations and funders who prioritize engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

5. Amber Walls, Kelsey L Deane, and Peter John O’Connor. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, Vol. 28, No. 4. “‘Looking for the Blue, the Yellow, all the Colours of the Rainbow:’ The value of participatory arts for young people in social work practice.” 2016. New Zealand.

In this article, the authors focus on policies and practice pertaining to youth mental health and wellbeing.

1. Yasemin Arikan, Terry Nichols Clark, Douglas S. Noonan, and George Tolley. Cultural Trends, Vol 28 No 5. “The arts, Bohemian scenes, and income.” United States. 2019. 

Where and how does arts activity drive neighbourhood revitalization? We explore the impact of arts establishments on income in US zip codes, nationally and across quantiles (from four to seven subgroups) of zip codes stratified by disadvantage (based on income and ethnicity/race). We focus on what is new here: how neighbourhood scenes or the mixes of amenities mediate relationships between the arts and income.

2. Grant Patterson and Leah Binkovitz. Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. “Artist-Planner Collaborations: Lessons Learned From Arts and Culture Ecosystems For Inclusive Planning.” United States. 2019. 

This report shows how art can be used to promote positive neighborhood change, including equity of access to resources and programs, inclusive planning processes and implementation of new strategies to promote inclusivity and maximize economic impact.

3. A New Approach. Australian Academy of the Humanities. “Transformative Impacts of Culture and Creativity.” Australia. 2019.

The report explores how investing in culture affects seven broad aspects of Australians’ lives: society and place; the economy; innovation; health and wellbeing; education and learning; international engagement and how engaging with creativity builds a strong cultural life across the nation.

4. Hill Strategies Research, Inc. Canadian Arts Presenting Association. “Vitality and Impact of Arts Presenting.” 2019. Canada. 

This study is the outcome of a pan-Canadian survey of performing arts presenters and festivals, conducted by Hill Strategies Research. It casts a light on a broad range of presenting practices and the magic that they bring into Canadians’ lives.

5. Wavehill Ltd. Arts Council England. “The Value of Arts and Culture in Place-shaping.” United Kingdom. 2019. 

This research seeks to generate further evidence to support the notion that arts and culture has the ability to promote and drive positive economic and social outcomes at a local level and thus contribute effectively to a place-shaping approach.

1. Ben Cowell.  Cultural Trends, Vol 21 No 3. “Arts philanthropy: the facts, trends and potential.” United Kingdom. 2012.

This report by Arts and Business aims to provide the basic facts about the market for private giving to the arts in the UK, as well as recommendations on how it can be increased. Given that Arts and Business has since had its funding removed by the Arts Council, it may soon find out for itself how realistic some of its proposals for enhancing private revenues actually are.

2. Mark Rovner. Blackbaud. “Diversity in Giving: The Changing Landscape of American Philanthropy.” United States. 2015.

America is in a dramatic cultural shift, but evidence suggests that organized philanthropy may be stuck in the past. As the nation becomes more diverse, it is more important than ever to consider whether the fundraising playbook is due for an overhaul.

3. Holly Sidford and Alexis Frasz. Helicon Collaborative. “Not Just Money: Equity Issues in Cultural Philanthropy.” United States. 2017.

This report documents the inequities in funding for the arts in the U.S. and laid out the aesthetic, demographic, and economic case for supporting the cultural diversity of our country more equitably.

4. Ian David Moss. Createquity. “The Last Word: Recommendations for Arts Philanthropists.” 2017. United States.

This article summarizes lessons learned in arts philanthropy by Createquity, as well as recommendations going forward for foundations, government agencies, individual philanthropists, and others providing resources to support the arts.

5. Maurine Knighton and Glyn Northington. Grantmakers in the Arts. “Racial Equity in the Arts.” 2016. United States.

This four-session web conference series explores practices used to advance racial equity in arts grantmaking, specifically focusing on the various practice components of the grant cycle.

1. Peter Merrington, Matthew Hanchard, Bridgette Wessels, et al. Cultural Trends, Vol 28, No 2-3. “Using Mixed-Methods: A Data Model and a Computational Ontology in Film Audience Research.” 2019. United Kingdom.

This paper discusses a methodology in mixed-methods audience research that attempts to sort, order and categorise different data so that they can be systematically combined and interrogated.

2. Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. “Culture is Digital.” 2018. United Kingdom.

Culture is Digital looks at the way technology can drive audience engagement, boosting the digital capability of cultural organisations and unleashing the creative potential of technology.

3. Nesta and MTM London. “Digital Culture 2014: How arts and cultural organisations in England use technology.” 2014. United Kingdom.

The second report in the Digital Culture Survey, a three-year initiative to track digital technology use by arts and cultural organisations in England and the perceived impact of those technologies on marketing, operations, audience development, strategic

4. MTM London. “Digital Culture: How the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts impacted the arts and cultural sector.” 2016. United Kingdom.

A program-level evaluation of the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts, a partnership between Nesta, Arts Council England and the Arts & Humanities, which provided £7 million for collaborations between arts organisations, technology providers, and researchers.

5. Katherine Gressel. Createquity. “Smart Public Art: Interactive Technology and Public Art Evaluation.” 2017. United States.

This article focuses on the role of web and mobile technologies in evaluating, promoting and explaining public art.

1. Eleonora Belfiore and Oliver Bennett. Cultural Trends, Vol. 3. “Determinants of Impact: Towards a Better Understanding of Encounters with the Arts.” 2007.  United Kingdom.

This article argues that current methods for assessing the impact of the arts are largely based on a fragmented and incomplete understanding of the cognitive, psychological and socio-cultural dynamics that govern the aesthetic experience.

2. Eleanora Belfiore and Oliver Bennett. Cultural Trends, Vol. 4. “The Social Impact of the Arts.” 2009. United Kingdom.

This short book is the result of a 3-year Arts and Humanities Research Council and Arts Council of England funded project at the Centre for Cultural Policy Research (CCPR) at the University of Warwick. The research encompasses: orthodoxy amongst arts advocates that art can transform lives; the large scale of government investment in the arts and arts education; recent political commentary on the utility of the arts for the economy and national identity formation; the tainting of research on impacts by advocacy; and the recent “intrinsic versus instrumentalist” debate on the role of the arts in the UK.

3. Guz Raz, Titus Kaphar, Dre Urhahn, eL Seed, Magda Sayeg, and Benjamin Zander. TED Radio Hour. “How Art Changes Us.” 2019. United States.

In this edition of the TED Radio Hour, speakers share ideas on the transformative nature of art and its ability to shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

4. Armine Avetisyan, Cynthia Cohen, Emily Forsyth Queen, and Toni Shapiro-Phim. Brandeis University. “Imagine Impact: An emerging strategy to strengthen the arts, culture, and conflict transformation ecosystem.” 2019. United States.

IMPACT is an initiative of the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts at Brandeis University, in collaboration with the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College and Maseno University in Kisumu, Kenya. This report makes the case for the power of arts and culture to transform conflict and advocates for a platform to support the arts ecosystem.

5. Alexis Frasz and Holly Sidford. Helicon Collaborative. “Mapping the Landscape of Socially Engaged Artistic Practice.” 2017. United States.

Helicon Collaborative, supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, began this research in 2015 to contribute to the ongoing conversation on socially engaged art. Their goal was to make this realm more visible and legible to practitioners and funders.