Gifts of the muse : reframing the debate about the benefits of the arts

This study offers a new framework for understanding how the arts create private and public value, highlights the importance of the arts intrinsic benefits and indentifies how both instrumental and instrinsic benefits are created. During The Past Decade, Arts Advocates Have Relied On An Instrumental Approach To The Benefits Of The Arts In Arguing For Support Of The Arts. This Report Evaluates These Arguments And Asserts That A New Approach Is Needed. This New Approach Offers A More Comprehensive View Of How The Arts Create Private And Public Value, Underscores The Importance Of The Arts' Intrinsic Benefits, And Links The Creation Of Benefits To Arts Involvement. Introduction -- Instrumental Benefits: What Research Tells Us--and What It Does Not -- Instrumental Benefits: Getting More Specific -- Intrinsic Benefits: The -- The Process Of Arts Participation: How It Relats To Benefits -- Conclusions And Implications. Kevin F. Mccarthy ... [et Al.]. Commissioned By The Wallace Foundation. Rand Research For The Arts. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 93-104). Also Available Via The Internet. During the past decade, arts advocates have relied on an instrumental approach to the benefits of the arts in arguing for support of the arts. This report evaluates these arguments and asserts that a new approach is needed. This new approach offers a more comprehensive view of how the arts create private and public value, underscores the importance of the artsÂ'intrinsic benefits, and links the creation of benefits to arts involvement. Introduction Instrumental benefits: what research tells us; and what it does not Instrumental benefits: can we be more specific? The missing link: intrinsic benefits The process of arts participation: how is it related to benefits? Conclusions and implications Arguments for why the arts should be supported have undergone a dramatic shift since the mid-1960s, when the U. S. government first started funding the arts systematically.