Definitions Matter: Dynamic Policy Framing of the Arts in Boston’s Sustainable Cultural Development

Cultural sustainability has become a fourth pillar in sustainable development studies. Different from the research approach to embedding culture into conventional sustainable discourse, this article argues that the sustainability and resilience issues within the arts and cultural sector should be paid more attention to. Putting the arts and cultural sector in urban settings, sustainable cultural development entails dynamic policy framing and changing policy justifications in response to an evolving socioeconomic and political environment. Taking the policy framing of the arts as an analytical lens, this paper aims to investigate this dynamic change and key driving factors through an in-depth case study of Boston’s urban cultural development. This article finds that different definitions of the arts are associated with different arts-based urban development strategies across four stages of cultural development in Boston spanning a period of over 75 years. The working definition moved from art to the arts, then to the creative arts industry, and eventually to cultural assets and creative capital. The policy framing of the arts keeps evolving and layering in pursuit of more legitimacy and resources regarding groups of stakeholders, field industry components, types of industrial structure, and multiple policy goals. This dynamic policy framing has been driven by arts advocacy groups, policy learning process, urban leadership change, and cultural institutional change, allowing Boston to draw on a growing and diversifying set of cultural resources in pursuit of sustainable cultural development.

Assessment Policy and Music Education

Assessment policy, whether explicitly or implicitly expressed, is defined for this chapter as any set of principles or guidelines constructed for the purpose of bringing consistency and fairness to a course of action involving measurement, evaluation, or growth related to any dimension of an individual’s learning. Assessment policies are influenced by time and place and often are shaped by powerful policy frameworks, that is, the political environments in which policy is conceived. The purpose of this chapter is to examine several issues (the status of music as a basic/core/well-rounded subject and the jurisdiction for the teacher certification process) and trends that impact these issues (the decreasing federal government involvement in education; the extension of educational agendas across boundary lines; and the growing power of arts advocacy groups) that emerge at the intersection of assessment policy and music education from a North American (delimited to Canadian, Mexican and US) perspective.

Make Arts for a Better Life

Make Arts for a Better Life: A Guide for Working with Communities provides a groundbreaking model for arts advocacy. Drawing upon methods and theories from disciplines such as ethnomusicology, anthropology, folklore, community development, and communication studies, the Guide presents an in-depth approach to researching artistic practices within communities and to developing arts-based projects that address locally defined needs. Through clear methodology, case studies from around the world, and sample activities, the Guide helps move readers from arts research to project development to project evaluation. It addresses diverse arts: music, drama, dance, oral verbal arts, and visual arts. Also featured are critical reflections on the concept of a “better life” and ethical issues in arts advocacy. The Guide is aimed at a broad audience including both scholars and public sector workers. Appendices and an accompanying website offer methodology “cheat sheets,” sample research documents, and specific suggestions for educators, researchers, and project leaders.