The Blue Moon is published bi-monthly by the Kentucky Arts
Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet. Please send comments, questions
and information to the Blue Moon, Kentucky Arts Council, Old Capitol Annex,
300 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601-1980 or call 502-564-3757, toll free
1-888-833-2787.
E-mail: kyarts@ky.gov
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Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate About the Benefits of the Arts
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. "We hope that future
policies focus on cultivating the demand for the arts, rather than the supply.
A demand-side approach would build a market for the arts by helping people
personally experience its benefits and understand how arts can improve their
quality of life." (Kevin
McCarthy, RAND senior social scientist and lead author of the report.) more...
Aging Creatively
Are older Americans who enjoy the arts better off than those who don't? The preliminary report of a four-year study says they are. Initiated and funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the study "Creativity and Aging" is discovering that on-going, professionally conducted arts programming (including music, poetry, painting, jewelry making, drama, and other artistic pursuits) makes older adults happier and healthier. more...
States' Report Cards Are In
The Government Performance Project's Grading the States 2005 is an assessment of the quality of management performance in the 50 states. Kentucky got a B+. It provides insights into the way the states have weathered the recent fiscal crisis and the promising innovations they have crafted to cope with an uncertain future, including such topics as how well states have managed their fiscal resources, their employees, and the states' physical infrastructure, and the extent to which elected officials and leaders use information and technology to measure the effectiveness of their services, make decisions and communicate with citizens. more...
Canadians and the Arts
Interested in how our neighbor to the north supports its artists? This web site
offers facts and figures about their arts spending. For example, the Canadian
government investment in arts and culture in 2001-2002 was $7 billion. more...
Turning Around Downtown: Twelve Steps to Revitalization
Though every downtown is different, there are still common revitalization lessons that can be applied anywhere. This Brookings Institution report captures twelve best practices to reinvigorating a downtown area, including "Step 7 - Create an Urban Entertainment District."
Download the PDF
The 6 Myths of Creativity
A recent Harvard University study on creativity in the workplace dispels some common misconceptions about the sources and motivators of creative thought.
more...
New Quick Fact: "Challenges in Transitioning From a Professional
Dance Career: An International Comparison"
According to data from The aDvANCE Project [2003], former professional dancers in Switzerland reported fewer post-performance transition challenges than did dancers in either the U.S. or Australia. Further results in the Quick Fact include a comparison of career transition challenges expected by current dancers in each country with the challenges actually experienced by former dancers. Results are available in downloadable graphs.
"Challenges in Transitioning From a Professional Dance Career: An International Comparison" is available here.
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