My new blog was inspired (demanded?) by a course in Writing for New Media that I'm taking as part of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) eLearning MA program in Arts Administration.
The focus of Culture Confit (which translates nicely as "culture crystallized") will be the intersection of cultural policy and arts administration, especially in the U.S. and France. In addition to being the topic of my master's thesis for the SCAD program, this has been an interest of mine since 2003 when I developed and taught a course on the topic for the University of California Education Abroad Program. I'm interested in French cultural support -- how did it evolve, who's interests has it served, where is it going -- and compare it to the U.S. experience to ask questions about how and why different policies, institutions and practices develop.
How do cultural policies evolve and what guides their development? Who are the players in these systems and what are their roles? Is cultural support an expression of national character, and, if so, how does that influence access, accountability, diversity and our understanding of l'exception culturelle?
I first became interested in this topic in the late 1990's. Traveling to France on business for the UC Berkeley Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT), I was initially driven by the need to understand our foreign partners in order to write grants, negotiate contracts and formulate collaborative projects in research, teaching and public events, but soon I developed a general interest in the French cultural support system and began researching the subject with interviews, reading and site visits.
I believe there is much to be gained by understanding -- and sometimes implementing -- different approaches to arts support. My goal is to contribute to the dialog around these issues and inspire a broader view of what's possible for people involved in the arts: students, administrators, public agencies, private foundations, artists and art patrons.
I'm looking forward to sharing some ideas, links, pics and other info in the coming weeks and months...and especially hearing from folks out there!
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