Research into the future of the creative economy should put artists at the forefront of its thinking, says Sunil Iyengar.
An occupational hazard of the social sciences is that we tend to generalize. Even when writing about the dynamic and complex system of arts and culture, it becomes tempting to treat the component parts as monoliths. Thus, when attempting to quantify the arts’ benefits to individuals and society, we often overlook the roles and relationships of different units that work in tandem to produce those effects.
For instance, we speak of the social and emotional learning (SEL) that derives from arts education. But where do teaching artists fit into the equation? How does their own vocational practice enable them to transmit SEL to others? Or we refer to the arts’ value for public health strategies. How do artists find themselves partnering effectively with organizations, in clinical and non-clinical settings, to build trust in community health providers?
Most conspicuously, we talk about the economic impacts of the arts—but how do we measure the opportunity costs for various sectors and communities that lack adequate support systems for artists?
It all sounds painfully schematic—using terms like “system,” “units,” or “impacts” when discussing the arts... Keep reading on Arts Journal.
An occupational hazard of the social sciences is that we tend to generalize. Even when writing about the dynamic and complex system of arts and culture, it becomes tempting to treat the component parts as monoliths. Thus, when attempting to quantify the arts’ benefits to individuals and society, we often overlook the roles and relationships of different units that work in tandem to produce those effects.
For instance, we speak of the social and emotional learning (SEL) that derives from arts education. But where do teaching artists fit into the equation? How does their own vocational practice enable them to transmit SEL to others? Or we refer to the arts’ value for public health strategies. How do artists find themselves partnering effectively with organizations, in clinical and non-clinical settings, to build trust in community health providers?
Most conspicuously, we talk about the economic impacts of the arts—but how do we measure the opportunity costs for various sectors and communities that lack adequate support systems for artists?
It all sounds painfully schematic—using terms like “system,” “units,” or “impacts” when discussing the arts... Keep reading on Arts Journal.