BLOOMINGTON, IN. – The Center for Cultural Affairs (CCA) at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs looks back on 2023 as an exceptional year of progress marked by strengthening research activities at both the Center and the Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation (AEI) Lab, investing in the training of a new generation of academics and leaders, and connecting a network of scholars and practitioners in cultural affairs.
Research
The Center for Cultural Affairs hosted the 22nd Association for Cultural Economics International (ACEI) conference on the Bloomington campus. The event brought together over 200 experts from more than 30 countries, all with an interest in the economic implications of arts and culture. As part of the conference, the CCA organized a Young Researcher's Workshop, which allowed rising researchers to present and discuss their work with renowned scholars in the field of cultural economics.
The Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Lab at the CCA continued to partner with the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) on Innovating Institutions and Inequities in Arts by publishing a report on the Center’s collaborative efforts with DDF and editing a special issue of cutting-edge research in the prestigious scientific journal, American Behavioral Scientist.
Furthermore, the AEI Lab began working with Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) to evaluate a large-scale guaranteed income program for 2300 artists in New York State. We also partnered with Creatives Rebuild New York to organize a data visualization competition for Indiana University students to use data from the applicants and enrollees of the Guaranteed Income program of CRNY to create engaging narratives and insights from the provided data.
In June 2023, the CCA sponsored the Biennial Research Conference on “Democratizing Arts and Cultural Organizations.” The conference brought together global scholars for a one-day session to discuss their work in cultural affairs.
Thanks to the generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the CCA was able to host two workshops under the Humanities in Cultural Affairs series. These workshops featured humanities professors who shared their insights on connecting the humanities with cultural policy. Crucial themes of social and racial justice in the arts, as well as the literary translations in cultural affairs were explored through open discussions, pop-up displays and exhibitions, and presentations aimed at reconnecting the humanities with public policy in cultural affairs.
Training
The CCA is committed to training the next generation of leaders and scholars through research projects with Ph.D. level graduate students, including the CCA’s Ph.D. fellow. We worked with Indiana University's Data Science graduate students to create a data visualization website for arts and cultural data. We also continued to partner with the arts administration program at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs by working with graduate assistants who help run the Center and its activities.
Connecting
In 2023, the CAA strengthened existing connections and established new ones. We continually run our successful Workshop in Cultural Affairs series to showcase the latest research and methods from cultural affairs professionals and practitioners around the world. Every two weeks, experts delved into new topics and engaged in lively discussions and debates, while building connections with experts in the field. The workshop series addressed pressing issues such as unionization and organizing among cultural workers, the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright in the arts, and groundbreaking innovations in popular music.
We also published The Digest, a curated collection of recent cultural affairs research with practical implications.
Additionally, the center enjoyed collaborating with Indiana neighbors, the Landmark Columbus Foundation, and the Ball State University Indiana Communities Institute, on a community development and arts and design event. Activations in Place, brought together community members and public sector leaders, as well as commissioned designers, to discuss how design may be integrated into urban environments.
International work at the CCA grew in November when we took part in a summit in Oslo, Norway, which established and strengthened relationships with cultural and creative sector executives from 18 other nations. The CCA is now a proud member of the Oslo International Cultural and Creative Industries Network.
Future
2023 marked a significant milestone for the Center for Cultural Affairs as we embarked on a journey of new beginnings and strengthened our Center's foundation, establishing us as a globally recognized institution for research and training in cultural affairs. Looking ahead to the coming year, the Center anticipates even greater accomplishments with new research, captivating events, and, above all, creating and cultivating collaborative relationships that will continue to advance the understanding of the place of arts and culture in public life.
