Research Studies, Reports, and Papers
Democratic Vistas
Democratic Vistas draws its inspiration and name from Walt Whitman's great essay on the vital role of art and creativity in our emerging democracy.
Since Whitman's time, the United States has developed a complex, dynamic and productive arts system, but equitable access to cultural resources and opportunities remains a challenge and many are excluded from the benefits of full participation in the arts. What are the systems, structures, policies and practices that encourage all citizens to participate in making culture? Democratic Vistas Profiles is a series of literary essays that take a deep and personal look at creative individuals who are reimagining the ways the arts and communities interact and the roles the arts play in a democratic society. Go to the essays...
Informal Arts: Finding Cohesion, Capacity and Other
Cultural Benefits in Unexpected Places
This groundbreaking study revealed high levels of participation and a rich continuum of informal arts activities in neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago. It demonstrates that the informal arts are a powerful source of individual satisfaction and social capital in communities, and that the arts have real value and a deep capacity to shape the ways in which communities develop.
Alaka Wali, PhD., Principal Investigator
Rebecca Severson, M.A., Ethnographer
Mario Longoni, M.A., Ethnographer
The full report is available in PDF.
