How can governments stimulate interest and demand in the arts? This compelling report from the RAND Corporation takes a close look at how well institutions in the United States cultivate demand for the arts and whether they should make this a higher priority item in the future. Authored by Laura Zakaras and Julia F. Lowell, this 151-page report was released in September 2008 and it contains six chapters that include "The Support Infrastructure for Youth Arts Learning" and "Enabling Individual Engagement with Works of Art". In the report the authors argue, "arts policies have long focused on supporting supply and expanding access while neglecting demand, which calls for cultivating the capacity of individuals to have engaging experiences with the arts." By the conclusion of their work, the authors conclude that "greater investment in comprehensive arts learning, particularly for the young is the most effective strategy for building demand." It's an intriguing proposition, and one that will be of great interest to arts administrators, policy analysts, and education specialists.
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