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Issue 34: April 2010
In an essay exploring the timeless question “what is art”, Leo Tolstoy proposed that art is a way of understanding our world; to paraphrase: art is a way for one person to share the feelings and experiences of others. Recently, however, a lot of attention has been placed on how we understand art itself. Some of the questions that artists, administrators and researchers are asking are:
When exploring the arts, researchers can either use traditional research methods or arts-based research methods. In traditional methods, researchers might use surveys, observations, achievement data, or other data sources that could also be used in other fields. However, researchers may choose to replace or supplement these with arts-based methods. These methods generally fall in one of three categories:
Some of the research findings about the arts confirm conventional wisdom, while others contradict it. For example, in our work we have found that in-school artist residencies help students develop their creativity and problem-solving. However, the arts have also improved students’ literacy by teaching them new ways to describe their environment.1 In another of our studies, we found that families had strong support for the arts in their schools, but school administrators had to navigate competing interests to balance arts with other disciplines despite that support.2 National studies have shown that people have invested and committed to the arts across the country, regardless of other regional differences.3 Other disciplines can benefit from the research in the arts by adopting some of the creative research methods being used and thinking about what common research questions span disciplines. You can find more information about research in the arts from the following resources:
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Upcoming Grants and RFP: Arts and Arts Education LINC & Ford Foundation
Letter of inquiry deadlines are May 28 and September 17. Please click here for more information. Kresge Foundation To help foster the long-term financial stability of arts groups the Kresge Foundation is working on a new strategy for its arts and culture program which focuses on the following three areas:
The foundation is currently accepting pre-application e-mails for facility investments and building reserves grants, with a call for applications scheduled for the fall of 2010. To learn more, please click here. National Endowment for the Arts The NEA wants to inspire all Americans through rich arts experiences. With a strong belief that arts education is critical in achieving this goal they offer funding through Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth. Funding is designated to projects that help children and youth acquire knowledge and understanding of, and skills in the arts. Learning in the Arts projects may take place in school-based or community-based settings and should focus on children and youth in the general age range of 5 through 18 years. The deadline for application submission is June 10, 2010. For more details, please click here. Jubilation Foundation The Jubilation Foundation grants fellowships to individuals who have achieved a high level of expertise in making young people feel fully alive through rhythm as expressed in dance, music and poetry. Fellowships grants are open to anyone living in the United States. The foundation also provides grants to organizations with special Consideration for:
Letters of Intent are accepted year-round with the next full application date on October 1, 2010. To access more information, please click here.
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