Discusses issues surrounding the support of local arts councils. Uses an example of federal policy and one of California State policy to illustrate the magnitude of official opposition to reforming cultural policy in the United States. (MK)

Hypothesizing that the tendency to define postmodern culture negatively derives from overliteral and undercritical responses to European theorists, this book of essays identifies the wide parameters of postmodernism. The book demonstrates that the literary and artistic temper of the postmodern condition in Europe and America cannot adequately be…

This paper advocates music and other arts as offering a unique course to both the celebration of cultural diversity and the pursuit for those human, unifying factors that may keep society together. Sections of the paper include an introduction, a historical perspective on the value of the arts and humanity, and a conclusion related to how equity…

Argues for a cultural policy that emphasizes pluralism, dialogue, and cultural transformation. Suggests that the arts provide a critical vehicle for promoting cultural equity. Uses the example of Hartford (Connecticut) to demonstrate the difficulties that face minority arts institutions and minority artists. (EVL)

The report discusses the Ford Foundation's support for the arts in the United States since 1981. The premise upon which the Foundation provides such support is that the arts provide an immediate and intense means of communication, both in the present and across the centuries. A potent reflector and interpreter of values, art illuminates the…

The institutional structure that supports the arts in the United States needs to be transformed so that it reflects both the internal cultural diversity and the global perspective appropriate for the 1990s. In developing a more comprehensive and equitable system, policymakers should be guided by social science research on the cultural needs and…

Asserts that the arts offer students in developmental education new ways to acquire creative and critical skills that are essential for becoming self-directed learners. States that the arts offer alternative forms of literacy and ways to construct meaning and sensitize students to other cultures. Contains 19 references. (VWC)