NASAA News and Current Information

Rural Prosperity Guide for Governors and States

The arts and culture offer powerful solutions to the challenges faced by the 60 million Americans living in rural communities. Rural Prosperity through the Arts & Creative Sector: A Rural Action Guide for Governors and States, just released from the National Governors Association (NGA), shows how policymakers at the state, local and federal levels can harness the creative economy to help boost opportunities, retain young people and preserve a great quality of life in our rural communities. The action guide is also a fact-filled advocacy resource you can use to make the case for the arts! Explore the project website and the press release for more. NASAA offers a suite of rural prosperity resources, including a brand-new infographic on rural equity in state arts agency grant making. The action guide is a collaboration between the NGA, the National Endowment for the Arts and NASAA.

NASAA Web Seminar: Rural Prosperity through the Arts and Creative Sector

A growing body of research demonstrates how the arts and the creative sector help rural communities thrive. The new action guide for governors and states (above) from the National Governors Association summarizes this evidence and highlights exemplary efforts by state arts agencies, other state agencies and nonprofit organizations to strengthen rural communities and economies through the arts. Join NASAA and representatives from the National Governors Association, the National Endowment for the Arts, Colorado Creative Industries, Rural LISC and First Peoples Fund on Thursday, April 25, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, for a discussion about rural creative economic development, and learn how your agency can better support constituents living in small and remote communities throughout your state. Register for NASAA’s web seminar, Rural Prosperity through the Arts and Creative Sector.

Save the Date for NASAA’s Capitol Hill Briefing: Arts and Rural Prosperity

At NASAA’s second annual Capitol Hill briefing, Arts and Rural Prosperity, hear members of Congress, rural policy experts and others discuss the power of creativity and culture to help rural communities thrive. Federal policymakers will learn from research and examples how the creative industries help create jobs, boost business opportunities, retain young people and cultivate a great quality of life in rural regions. Join us via live webcast on our Facebook page on May 2 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

NASAA Fights for the Arts!

Later this month NASAA will launch our spring campaign, officially kicking off our 2019 annual fund. Our advocacy work doesn’t wait and you shouldn’t either. Make a one-time gift or become a monthly donor today to directly support NASAA’s influential, credible and strategic advocacy—the same advocacy work that has helped fight against two elimination threats and increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts four years in a row. Thank you!

Rural Generation Summit May 22-24

The Rural Generation Summit, May 22-24 in Jackson, Mississippi, is designed to uplift the people of rural Mississippi and their cultural work, exchange learning with rural leaders across the nation, and redefine the state of the rural arts and culture field. NASAA CEO Pam Breaux is part of the national working group of Rural Generation, a coalition of Art of the Rural, ArtPlace America, the Center for Rural Strategies, First Peoples Fund, the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production, The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, the Rural Policy Research Institute, and Springboard for the Arts. Register for the summit.

Artist Career Research Methods

The Canada Council for the Arts released a report analyzing methods used in research on artists’ careers, incomes and work conditions. Through a literature review of Canadian and international studies, and interviews with researchers and indigenous and equity groups, the report compares various research methods and provides guidance on what approaches and variables to employ for specific study goals. It identifies best practices for studying inclusion and diversity within the artist population, as well as for presenting and disseminating findings.

Participating in the Arts Creates Paths to Healthy Aging

The National Institute on Aging has a new feature on the link between participating in the arts and healthy aging. It describes two studies that examined the effects of regular choir singing and improvisational theater on cognition in the elderly. The feature points out that research on music, theater, dance, creative writing and other participatory arts shows promise for improving older adults’ quality of life and well-being, from better cognitive function, memory, and self-esteem to reduced stress and increased social interaction.

Museum Trends 2019

The American Alliance of Museums has published TrendsWatch 2019. This year, the annual forecasting publication explores truth and trust, decolonization, blockchain, homelessness and housing insecurity, and self-care. The report highlights museum responses, engagement and challenges around all of these contemporary challenges.

Policy Considerations for STEAM Education

The Arts Education Partnership and the Education Commission of the States published Policy Considerations for STEAM Education, a brief highlighting policies and practices that can help states to advance science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education and increase student participation. Here, STEAM education is defined as a teaching method in which students demonstrate innovative and critical thinking and creative problem solving at the intersection of STEAM disciplines. Also published is a shareable infographic, which outlines the components of STEAM education.

The Arts and Neighborhood Choice

A new collaborative research report, The Arts in Neighborhood Choice, from the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, looks at the role of the arts in choosing a neighborhood. In 2015, for the first time, the American Housing Survey (fielded by the U.S. Census Bureau) asked householders across the country the role of the arts. According to the survey results, 38% of householders affirmed the importance of living “conveniently near” arts and cultural events. Among the 38% who valued living near arts and cultural events, a large majority reported being satisfied with their access and proximity to such events.