Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.

Monograph: Making a Difference: Lessons Learned from Animating Democracy

Americans for the Arts is launching a new phase of work for Animating Democracy to promote best practices and build field capacity for arts-based civic engagement. The four year Animating Democracy Lab provided evidence of the contributions the arts can make to civic dialogue and also pointed to the vital role local arts agencies (LAAs) can play in fostering arts-based civic engagement. This Monograph tells the story of the Arts Council of Greater Lima (Ohio), which harnessed the power of the arts to prompt civic action, and highlights best practices culled from the experiences of 37 arts and humanities projects. It suggests roles and actions for LAAs and offers practical resources for planning arts-based civic dialogue events.

Americans for the Arts’ Monograph series featured in-depth issue papers on topics that were of the greatest interest to our members and arts professionals at the time. They often still serve as excellent resources for best practices and historic reference for today’s issues. Monographs were produced from 1993–2010. Monographs from 2001-2010 are available for downloadable in PDF format our online store at a nominal fee for nonmembers but free to members. All monographs from 1993-2000 are available for free download via the National Arts Administration and Policy Publications Database.

This Monograph tells the story of the Arts Council of Greater Lima (Ohio), which harnessed the power of the arts to prompt civic action, and high-lights best practices culled from the experiences of 37 arts and humanities projects.

Report
Carlborg, Sonja; Korza, Pam; Schaffer Bacon, Barbara
Americans for the Arts Monograph
20
June, 2005
Publisher Reference: 
Americans for the Arts
State: 
Ohio
Research Abstract
Categories: 
Civic Dialogue and Social Change
Cultural Planning
Governance
Legislation
Local Arts Agencies
Is this an Americans for the Arts Publications: 
Yes
Image Thumbnail of Pub Cover: 
Global Tag: 
Monographs
June 2005