The Arts Education Partnership reviewed multiple research studies identified within ArtsEdSearch – a national clearinghouse of rigorous arts education research – to better understand the role visual arts play in student success. This resource explores how visual arts support students’ academic success both within and outside of school settings by cultivating learning skills, boosting academic achievement and enhancing the educational experience of traditionally underserved students.
Creative Industries Report: California 2017
This Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts report provides a research-based approach to understanding the scope and economic importance of the arts in California. The creative industries are composed of arts businesses that range from nonprofit museums, symphonies, and theaters to for-profit film, architecture, and design companies. Arts businesses and the creative people they employ stimulate innovation, strengthen America’s competitiveness in the global marketplace, and play an important role in building and sustaining economic vibrancy. In a global economy, the creative industries are durable and enduring local employers.
Downloadable reports are available for the entire state as well as for the state’s Congressional Districts, state legislative districts, and counties. To see how your state compares to others, view the Comparative Reports.
Mapping Our Progress toward Cultural Equity: Americans for the Arts’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts Since the 2016 Adoption of the Statement on Cultural Equity
“To support a full creative life for all, Americans for the Arts commits to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable nation.” In April of 2016, the Board of Directors of Americans for the Arts unanimously adopted the above Statement on Cultural Equity, along with a set of guiding objectives and definitions, for the organization. In June of 2018, two years into working towards the guidelines laid out in the Statement on Cultural Equity, the Board of Directors requested that staff gather a report on progress. This is the result of that request.
This report, and its associated detailed appendix, were compiled in a collaborative effort across all departments of Americans for the Arts. We attempt to integrate a focus on cultural equity across our work, rather than consolidating it into a named department within the organization, and so this report encompasses a wide variety of work that ranges from practice deeply rooted in equity and systems change to exercises in relatively early-stage representation and visibility. It showcases a significant amount of energy, effort, and progress, and the long distance to go. We wish to acknowledge both of those realities. This report summarizes the longer detailed findings that feature in the appendix, which totals 19 pages and has been organized around the guiding objectives from the original Statement on Cultural Equity. Together these documents provide a platform for reflection on our progress, areas of improvement, and next steps necessary for this work to succeed over time.
Each section is arranged around one of the core tenets of the Statement on Cultural Equity. The first three components, as in the Statement, are about the internal workings of Americans for the Arts. The second four, similarly, are about our external work with the field and communities. This echoes the structure of the Appendix, to which the reader may refer for further details.
The Effects of Facilitated Single-Visit Art Museum Programs on Students Grades 4-6
Spearheaded by the Museum Education Division of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, RK&A conducted a national study of the effects of facilitated single-visit art museum programs on students in grades 4-6. The results of this study are critical. Facilitated single-visit programs are the most common way art museums serve K-12 students; yet, there is a dearth of rigorous research about the effects of these programs.
In this study, facilitated single-visit programs are defined as one-time museum field trips in which students engage with original works of art within the physical setting of an art museum. Students are led by a representative of the museum (trained volunteer docent or staff member) who uses
inquiry-based pedagogies to guide students in discussions about works of art. The study team hypothesized that “though short in duration, single-visit programs affect students in complex, multi-dimensional ways; there is not one direct effect, but rather potentially multiple, interrelated
effects that are central to the education of young people in particular: creative thinking, critical thinking, sensorial and affective responses, human connections, and academic connections.”
Through a quasi-experimental study, we measured the effects of facilitated single-visit art museum programs on students. Ultimately, we found that a facilitated single-visit program in an art museum affects students in grades 4-6 in four ways:
- QUESTIONING: Students ask more complex questions about works of art
- MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS: Students are more accepting of multiple interpretations of a work of art
- PHYSICALITY OF ART: Students are more likely to think about art in terms of its material properties
- EMOTIVE RECALL: Students experience greater emotive recall of the program
The above benefits are the result of a facilitated single-visit program in an art museum; please note we did not find these same benefits for students who received a similar one-time classroom program. A close examination of the data, which are elaborated upon in this document, reveals the nuances and complexity inherent in these results. The graphic on the next page begins to clarify the relationship between teaching and learning during facilitated single-visit art museum programs, although further discussion is necessary to identify its many implications.
Policy Considerations for STEAM Education
Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics has captured the attention of state policymakers who are concerned about preparing students for an evolving workforce. By 2030, Institute for the Future estimates that 85 percent of the jobs that today’s K-12 learners will be doing haven’t been invented – demanding a workforce that is creative and prepared to respond innovatively to real-world problems.2 Including the arts in STEM learning can further enhance teaching and student achievement, and build upon existing approaches to STEM that encourage students to apply creativity to solving real-world problems. As a response to changing workforce demands, policymakers across the country are increasing their focus on the role of the arts in STEM and exploring opportunities to create and implement STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programs. This report highlights state policies and practices that can help states to increase student access to STEAM education.
Rural Prosperity Through the Arts and Creative Sector: A Rural Action Guide for Governors and States
Rural America has a robust cultural history that has enriched the nation and its people. Rural America is also beset with social and economic challenges.
Population migration and persistent poverty are contributing to a widening urban-rural divide in many states. By using the creative sector – specifically, arts and cultural assets – governors have a viable approach for strengthening economic opportunities and vibrancy into rural communities.
Arts and culture have long been part of urban rejuvenation efforts. Now, an expanding body of research and practice showcases positive economic
and quality-of-life outcomes associated with the rural creative sector.
This Rural Action Guide describes in detail the principles of arts-based rural development, including the following:
- Creative sector initiatives are most effective when attuned to the particular creative assets and needs of rural communities.
- Creative sector initiatives work best as part of a cohesive economic development plan in rural areas.
- Creative sector initiatives add value when integrated with additional state and local policies and practices such as workforce development, community development and housing.
This Rural Action Guide features many successful high-profile examples of rural communities and regions that have become more economically
resilient and sustainable through creative sector initiatives.
The examples offer process-oriented steps for consideration by governors and their policy advisors when applying the principles within their states’
policy framework. When implemented, these steps can contribute to positive changes in employment, wages and quality of place in rural areas.
This guide goes beyond simply advocating replication, which would be difficult because of the unique circumstances of individual communities
benefiting from place-based initiatives that foster the creative economy. It also shares process steps, examples and lessons learned from rural successes and the research and field work that have built on
these successes.
