Performing Policy : How Contemporary Politics and Cultural Programs Redefined U.S. Artists for the Twenty-First Century

This book demonstrates how and why a majority of US artists must now function as producers of their original works, as well as creators. The author shows how, over the span of 20 years, the USA's cultural policy sector radically redefined US artists' practices without cohesively articulating the expectations of artists' new role. "Performing Policy explains how a movement in cultural policy that began in the 1990s redefined US artists' roles in society and enhanced their prospects for the twenty-first century. In the first years of the century, a series of landmark reports appeared, significantly expanding the nation's understanding of the relevance of arts to everyday life. Broadly, these reports covered issues of changing tastes and consumption habits, the relevance of culture to economic and social stability in communities, and the challenges facing artists and arts organizations in the new economy. Their publication coincided with a number of national initiatives that proposed and modelled new methods of artistic practice and sustainability. Analyzing the political origins and practical applications of recent advancements in arts policy, this book demonstrates how the redefining of artists took place and to what ends. At the same time, Performing Policy proposes a new definition through which artists might be productively acknowledged as co-creators of the nation's arts infrastructure"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xix Introduction: Performing Policy....Pages 1-28 A Politic of Purpose: “The Arts and the Public Purpose” (1997)....Pages 29-49 New Work Now! The Austin New Works Theatre Community (2012)....Pages 50-70 Accounting for Capital: The Creative Capital Foundation (1999-Present)....Pages 71-89 A Survey Course: Teaching Artists and/as Producers (2013)....Pages 90-106 Linking Creative Investments: Investing in Creativity (2003) and LINC (2003–2013)....Pages 107-126 Proposing Place: Creative Placemaking (2010-Present)....Pages 127-141 Coda: Performing Policy....Pages 142-146 Back Matter....Pages 147-208