Author: Hatfield, Weston

Publication Year: 1978

Media Type: Report

Summary:

The Illinois Arts Council and the Department of Local Government Affairs undertook a ten-month rural community arts study to understand better the role of the arts in small Illinois communities.... This cooperative venture grew out of both agencies' overlapping concerns for the quality of life in small communities. The Arts Council is committed to the premise that the arts are absolutely essential to the quality of life; it seeks to promote an environment that is beneficial to artistic activities and illinois artists, to aid in the continuing development of the state's cultural resources, and to make the arts available to every Illinois resident.

Abstract:

The Illinois Arts Council and the Department of Local Government Affairs undertook a ten-month rural community arts study to understand better the role of the arts in small Illinois communities.... This cooperative venture grew out of both agencies' overlapping concerns for the quality of life in small communities. The Arts Council is committed to the premise that the arts are absolutely essential to the quality of life; it seeks to promote an environment that is beneficial to artistic activities and illinois artists, to aid in the continuing development of the state's cultural resources, and to make the arts available to every Illinois resident. Recognizing that the residents of the a small, rural community are likely to have perceptions and desires quite different from those of residents of a larger urban center, The Arts Council sees an accurate assessment of attitudes, needs, and resources in small communities as vital to the formulation of policy and planning of programs that will fulfill its mandate of giving everyone in the state the opportunity to participate in quality arts activities. (p. 1)

CONTENTS
I.   Introduction. 
    1. Agency motivations. 
    2. Assumptions and basic questions.

II. Designing the study: methods. 
    1. Planning and scouting. 
    2. Fielding the questionnaire. 
    3. Fielding the interviews.

III. Interpreting the results: analysis. 
    1. The community context. 
    2. What do people want? 
    3. What do different categories of people want? 
    4. What do local organizations offer?

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Community Development