The Center for Arts and Culture has published a series of issue papers entitled Art, Culture, and the National Agenda to demonstrate how public policy decisions affect our nation's cultural life. This paper, the third in the series, provides an overview and analysis of federal policies and practices, and the way culture intersects with civic life in communities.

The paper calls for:

1. Public leaders at all levels (federal, state, and local) to use their bully pulpits to encourage cultural activities that build community identity and social cohesion.
2. The federal government to develop an art and community-building program in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (for urban areas) and Department of Agriculture (for rural areas).
3. State and local governments to foster partnerships among community development organizations with arts organizations.
4. Local school districts, with encouragement from the Department of Education, to make arts education part of the core K-12 curriculum for all public schools.
5. Federal, state, and local governments to strengthen their efforts to use the arts as a way of addressing pressing social problems in communities:

CONTENTS

• Art, Culture, and the National Agenda.
• Executive Summary.
• The Public Purposes of Art and Culture in Communities.
• Building Community Identity.
• Community and Economic Development.
• Education and Cultural Literacy.
• Social Benefits.
• Policy Recommendations: Using the Arts to Build Community.
• References.

The Center for Arts and Culture has published a series of issue papers entitled Art, Culture, and the National Agenda to demonstrate how public policy decisions affect our nation's cultural life. This paper, the third in the series, provides an overview and analysis of federal policies and practices, and the way culture intersects with civic life in communities.