Art, Community, and the University Intersection: A Study Toward Impact

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding the City: Location, Localities, and the Relationship to the University

Abstract

The community-focused work of local arts organizations can lead to wide range of benefits for neighborhoods. Historically, these benefits have been characterized in terms of economic factors, community well-being, and educational impacts. However, evaluation of the effects that arts programs have on communities can sometimes be obscured by measures that do not address the nuances of this relationship in local contexts. The intent of this presentation is to describe the development of socially-conscious and community-focused metrics to better evaluate the impact of a large urban university’s effort to promote stronger connections with the surrounding neighborhood. Building on prior work, the approach emphasizes assessing arts impact from a hyper-local, values-oriented framework.

Authors

• Mimi Miyoung Lee, University of Houston

• Sixto Wagan, University of Houston

• Miguel Angel Ramos, University of Houston