Cultural Policy

He sat less than two feet away, with just the bare table between us. Everything seemed to be going well. We were talking about the value of creativity and innovation in education, commerce, and culture, and how incorporating creativity principles into curriculum development would improve school culture across his district. There were fervent nods of agreement, as we seemed unified in our conviction of the importance of creativity in developing twenty-first-century learning skills.

Enriching our culture and engaging diverse and underserved communities, small arts organizations pop up, flourish, and sometimes flounder, mostly under the philanthropic radar. They often foster artistic expressions not adequately served by larger organizations.

52 pages, May 2012. National Governors Association, NGA Center for Best Practices, 444 N. Capitol Street, Suite 267, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 624-5300, www.nga.org/center.

Download:

   New Engines of Growth (3.3Mb)

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   Forum on Equity in Arts Funding (1.6 Mb)

Caron Atlas, Project Director and Editor. 2011, 200 pages, Arts and Democracy Project, Brooklyn, New York

Bridge Conversations is an inspiring collection of interviews, dialogues, and essays with artists, arts administrators, activists, and politicians using the arts to build, reflect, and improve community. It is thoughtfully constructed and inclusive in those selected to participate, their topics, and their approaches.

Rocco Landesman’s Can of Worms

2011, 416 pages, Common Ground Publishing, Champaign, IL

Is a major shift in worldview taking place across the globe today? If so, what role can artists, arts organizations, and cultural creatives play in imagining and sustaining a future with more equitable lifeways?

May 28, 2011

Today more than ever, states that want to be competitive need a policy agenda that supports and nurtures the creativity and economic productivity of their citizens. With his veto of funding for the Kansas Arts Commission, Governor Sam Brownback has now declared his opinion that Kansas is too poor for that. The real poverty expressed in this action is not of the pocketbook; state arts agencies yield excellent return on investment in jobs and tax revenues.

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   Creative Placemaking (4.7Mb)

Creative Placemaking features sections on the:

• Challenges for creative placemaking such as clearing regulatory hurdles and developing evaluation metrics.
• Components of successful projects including mobilizing public will and designing around distinctiveness.