Cultural Programming
This course explored practice and theory related to arts and cultural programming in the public sector. A primary focus was the intellectual history of public (or applied) folklore, especially its intersection with the field of community arts. Readings, guest speakers, and focused discussions illuminated a range of opportunities available to cultural workers of varied backgrounds: folklorists, museum specialists, community arts managers, or arts advocates. Exercises in project development (conceptualization, proposal writing, fieldwork plan) provided opportunities to make initial forays into arts and cultural programming, or even to workshop an idea students have kicked around for a while. We paid special attention to opportunities involving local and/or UO-related projects, though by no means limited ourselves to these! While the ten-week term limited our ability bring to fruition full-fledged projects, we identified and discussed the kinds of skills that public folklorists or arts and cultural programmers bring to (and sometimes learn through) various long and short-term projects.
Blackfoot Pathways_Job Description
Cultivate_Arts and Culture Co-op_Proposal
Program Theory, Participation & Evaluation
Upon completion of this course, students understand: ways of participating in the arts and strategies for encouraging/increasing and measuring participation; the various components of arts program development including planning, management, funding streams, and evaluation; leading theories and methods of arts evaluation and be able to select appropriate method(s) for specific programs; major issues and strategies involved in arts program development including equity/inclusion, collaborative practice, web-based cultural programming and sustainability; how to apply programming concepts to real-life arts programs.
Responsive Sustainable Evaluation
Rural Arts and Culture Summit Reflection
Individual Learning Goals
Learning Goal #1: Learn the theory and methods of program development. I hope to gain a better understanding of what programming entails, how it is developed and who it is developed with, as well as how to ensure “success.” What does “success” mean in programming? Developing, implementing and evaluating programs is something that I am very interested in pursuing, so I hope to end the course with a much better understanding of these concepts.
- End the course with greater knowledge and understanding of the role of programming in the arts as well as how it can be developed, implemented and evaluated.
- Will have read and understood a body of literature on programming and be able to coherently discuss these readings.
- Implement these understandings as part of my Cultural Programming project
- Implement these understandings and communicate them to the rest of the class as part of my Program Theory group presentation
- Ability to outline and discuss programming theory, methods, and techniques
Learning Goal #2: Learn theories and methods of evaluation and how to apply these theories to real arts programming practice. It can be very difficult to concretely evaluate arts programs, so I hope to be gain knowledge in this area and have a much clearer understanding of evaluative strategies.
- End the course with greater knowledge and understanding of arts evaluation theories and methods and be able to coherently discuss these with others, referring to literature and source materials.
- Implement evaluation strategies as part of my Cultural Programming project
- Be able to discuss evaluation as part of responsive programming during our Program Theory group presentation
- Will have the ability to suggest evaluation strategies/methods for real-life arts programs.
Learning Goal #3: Learn more about arts participation, including ways of participating (especially for people of different ages and levels of arts understanding), and strategies for increasing and measuring participation. What can be considered participation? What are the different levels of participation? How do we get participants to continue being involved? What elements have to be in place to increase chances of participation? What about for those who have no prior experience in the arts? Increasing participation is usually always a goal, but how does an art organization actually do this?
- End the course with greater knowledge and understanding of arts participation, and be able to coherently discuss with others, referring to literature and source materials
- Determine methods for increasing and measuring participation as part of my Cultural Programming project
- Will have concrete ideas on how to actually increase participation for real programs; and be able to discuss participation in the context of my Program Theory group project.
Cultural Museum
This course introduced students to Museum Studies, with a focus on cultural museum issues and particular emphasis on visitor experience. The course format is an instructor facilitated seminar with active student participation in critically analyzing and debating readings, issues, and museum exhibits (broadly defined). Experiential aspects of the course involved the examination of key themes through classroom discussion. Students were exposed to a variety of current issues in museum practice and participated in in-depth evaluation and analysis of museum exhibits. After successfully completing this course, students can: better understand the history of cultural museums; appreciate the variety of roles cultural museums play in modern society; gain critical evaluation skills related visitor experience in museums today; delineate practical aspects of success and sustainability in a university-based museum.
Online Collections Analysis_Tate, MoMA and the Centre Pompidou
Utilizing Technology to Enhance Adaptability
Cultural Policy
Cultural policy is an arena of public policy that pertains to political choice processes and governmental institutions involved in problem identification, agenda formation, and policy formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation actions made in the arts and culture sector. This graduate-level course explored the development of cultural policy institutions and processes in the United States and abroad, with a strong emphasis on understanding the context and issues of contemporary American cultural policy. The course shifted during the term from a theoretical to an applied lens, as we moved from understanding the general cultural policy context, to understanding the implementation of cultural policy in the USA, to developing capacities and skills to influence cultural policy as proactive leaders in the field.
Cultural Policy Notable Quote #1 #2 #4 #5 #6 #7
Cultural Administration
This course provided a grounded foundation for graduate-level coursework in the Arts and Administration Program. Readings and classroom activities were designed to introduce major functions and issues in the administration of a nonprofit cultural organization. Students were expected to analyze readings and critically engage in the content of each class session. The pedagogical goals were to: (1) map the theoretical and practical terrain of arts administration, and (2) develop leadership, critical inquiry, graduate-level writing and presentation skills.
Course assignments led student teams through the creation of imaginary organizations, and a process of critically exploring various problems commonly encountered in arts administration. These problems included navigating: the changing economic, political, and social context of arts organizations; governing board and constituency relations and development; operations, planning, and policy needs; and financial management, fundraising and marketing.
