Adult and continuing education in the arts can and does play a role in the development of cultural identity. Dimensions of culture include ethnicity, location, age, social class, and time. This definition of culture leads to the conclusion that cultures are generally small and are dynamic rather than static. Research shows that individuals in what are perceived to be declining cultures learn about their culture from family and peers rather than educational establishments. They are often ambivalent about the value of their culture. Members of small cultural units take pride in their culture but are often frustrated by it and undervalue it. Adult education providers could do more to reinforce cultural identity. Many cultures see their future only in terms of preserving the past. Adult education must provide opportunities for cultural development through more creative studies that take traditional forms of expression but reinvent them for the twenty-first century. Preserving cultural identity is not about living in the past but about developing a new living cultural identity. Adult and continuing education can have a unique role in persuading ordinary people to learn about, value, and develop their own cultural identities outside of the value systems of the international art market. (YLB)