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
Meet Fabian Debora–Chicano Muralist and 2024 National Heritage Fellow
Art Works is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and the NEA National Heritage Fellowships with a conversation with Chicano muralist and 2024 National Heritage Fellow Fabian Debora. Debora discusses his remarkable journey from growing up in the gang culture of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, to becoming an acclaimed artist and advocate. He … [Read more...] about Meet Fabian Debora–Chicano Muralist and 2024 National Heritage Fellow
Quick Study: Arts and Cultural Managers
In this episode, we discuss government statistics about arts managers, based on forthcoming results from an analysis to be posted to the NEA website. A transcript is available here. … [Read more...] about Quick Study: Arts and Cultural Managers
Exploring the Power of Theater Education with Dr. Thalia Goldstein
A conversation with Dr. Thalia Goldstein about the significant impact of theater education on child development. Dr. Goldstein is an associate professor and director of the Applied Developmental Psychology program in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University where she directs the Play, Learning, Arts and Youth Lab (PLAYlab), and co-directs the National Endowment … [Read more...] about Exploring the Power of Theater Education with Dr. Thalia Goldstein
Remembering the Works of Stephen Sheppard, Cultural Economist
Last March, we lost a dear colleague and innovator in the field of cultural economics. Stephen Sheppard, a professor of economics at Williams College, died at the age of 69. This is an overdue attempt to pay some sort of tribute to Dr. Sheppard and his abiding influence. Personally, I got to know him 12 years ago, when the NEA partnered with the Brookings Institution to … [Read more...] about Remembering the Works of Stephen Sheppard, Cultural Economist