DRAFT AUGUST 20, 2014
FROM DEGAS TO DISNEY: Public Policy and the Arts
Course UPADM-GP 263.001/Fall 2014
Tuesday 4:55PM – 7:25PM
WAVE 366
Professor – Michael Botwinick
mb4338@nyu.edu
Craig Schott, Administrative Assistant
craig.schott@nyu.edu
Office Hours by Appointment
Puck Building (Lafayette/Houston)
Tues 3-4
The arts in America have developed, for the most part, as a private sector enterprise
supported by a variety of government policies largely conceived for other public
purposes. This course is an introduction to the history and development of public decision
making about the arts and the important role played by the arts and creative industries in
a post-industrial world of rapid technological, social, political, and economic change.
While the course will focus on U.S. non-profit issues, the arts and culture sector is
broadly defined to include relevant for profit and commercial arts as well as international
comparisons.
Our goal in this course is for you to
 Have a grasp of the historical development of the cultural sphere in America.
 Understand the way in which policy, politics and ideology interact in the Public
Policy arena as it relates to the Arts.
 Explore the complexity and informality of the process by which Public Policy
emerges as it relates to the Arts.
 Develop a familiarity with a number of the key recent arts events and issues that
have driven the Public Policy conversation.
 Place the Arts in the broader policy context of economic and social policy.
 Understand Public Policy and the Arts as it reflects larger issues in American
Society from the colonial times to the present.
Policies Assignments and Grading




We are resources for each other in this process. You will need to prepare for the
sessions and participate in the discussion.
The details of the assignments below are more fully explained in NYU Classes.
Please familiarize yourselves with the requirements.
Deadlines are firm. You will not receive full credit for work submitted late.
All written assignments should be submitted digitally as email attachments in Word
format (.doc or .docx) Do not use Google Docs to submit assignments. Title the
document with the assignment name and your last name (i.e. Feedback # 1/Your Last
Name/), Use the same for the Subject line.
1
DRAFT AUGUST 20, 2014
For all assignments see NYU Classes/Assignments for requirements and guidelines.
1. Feedback due Thursday September 18 and Thursday October 2.
 You will write 2 assessments on public policy concepts/issues you find
particularly interesting or challenging in class discussion/readings.
 Feedbacks are not philosophical ruminations, advocacy statements, summaries of
the readings, lectures, or book reviews.
 Feedbacks are limited to 200 words (include a word count with your submission).
 Grading is based on your ability to analyze the topic and make connections with
the policy focus of the course in a concise and timely manner.
 Spelling, word limit and grammar count.
2. Public Policy Issue Brief due prior to Session 9 - Nov 4.
3. Proposed topics for Final Research Paper. Submit for my approval by 5pm Friday,
Nov 7. I encourage you to discuss this with me.
4. Team Presentation will take place at Session 13/Dec 2.
5. Final Research Paper Due 12:00 noon Wed, Dec 17
N.B. All assignments are to be submitted digitally as Word Attachments. Please do
not use Google Docs to attach.
Grading
Feedbacks
Policy Brief
Team Presentation
Research Paper
Class Participation
20%
20%
20%
30%
10%
Required Reading:
 Textbook: Cherbo, Joni M, Ruth Ann Stewart & Margaret J. Wyszomirski,
Editors. Understanding the Arts and Creative Sector in the United States. New
Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Univ Pr, 2008. Available for purchase at NYU
Professional Bookstore, 530 La Guardia Place.
 NYU Classes folders containing relevant articles and web links for each class
sessions.
Course Schedule
Session 1/Sept 2
Introduction to the course: What is policy? What is arts and cultural policy? What is a nonprofit versus a for profit entity? How is culture funded in the U.S.? What is the role of tax
law and private philanthropy? How does the American “system” differ from cultural policy
in other countries?
Required Readings:
 Joni Cherbo, “Introduction” (pp.1-5) and “Toward an Arts and Creative Sector” (pp.
9-27) in Cherbo, Stewart & Wyszomirski, Eds. Understanding the Arts and Creative
Sector in the United States (hereafter cited as CSW)
 Allen Procter “Nonprofit groups wouldn’t be around without profits”
 Ray Madoff “Dog Eat Your Taxes’
2
DRAFT AUGUST 20, 2014




Edwards “Misguided Call for Business Thinking”
Schmidt “Commercial Thought”
The Chronicle “Drop in Support of the Arts
Cultural Policy:What Is It, Who Makes It,Why Does It Matter?
Session 2/Sept 9
The Awkward Embrace: government and the development of U.S. arts and culture
Required Readings:
 Neil Harris, “Public Subsidies and American Art” in Grantmakers in the Arts
Newsletter (pp.29-32). Winter 1996.
 Aimee R. Fullman, Timeline of U.S. Federal Cultural Policy Milestones: 1787 to
2006. Canadian Cultural Observatory, April 2007.
Recommended Additional Reading:
 Remembering Dizzy Gillespie’s Jazz Diplomacy
Session 3/Sept 16
Creation of a U.S. public support system for the arts and culture
Required Readings:
 Margaret Wyszomirski & Kevin Mulcahy, “The Organization of Public Support for
the Arts” (pp.121-143) in America’s Commitment to Culture.
 Section on the history, structure, and operations of cultural agencies in The
Independent Commission’s “Report to Congress on the National Endowment for the
Arts” (pp. 53-93) in Journal of Arts Management and Law. Fall 1990.
 Julia Lowell & Elizabeth Ondaatje, “Introduction” (pp.1-2), “At Arm’s Length”
(pp.5-15), and “Some Facts about State Arts Agencies” (pp.53-55) in The Arts and
State Governments. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2006.
 Conservatives and Rivals NYTimes 2-17-05
 For examples of the different components of the cultural support system see:
1. Federal government cultural agencies, e.g., National Endowment for the Arts
arts.gov; National Endowment for the Humanities humanities.gov; Institute
for Museum and Library Services imls.gov; Corporation for Public
Broadcasting cpb.org
2. State and local cultural agencies, e.g., NY State Council on the Arts
nysca.org; Lower Manhattan Cultural Council lmcc.org; New Jersey
Humanities Council njhc.org
3. Arts service organizations, e.g., National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
nasaa-arts.org; Americans for the Arts artsusa.org; Opera America
operaamerica.org
4. Arts lobbyists and advocacy groups, e.g., Americans for the Arts Action Fund
artsactionfund.org; Minnesota Citizens for the Arts mncitizensforthearts.org
Assignment:
Feedback #1 (Session 1, 2, or 3) Due Sept 18
3
DRAFT AUGUST 20, 2014
Session 4/Sept 23
The Culture Wars: whose culture is it anyway?
We will screen the film: Art & Outrage
Required Readings:
 Joseph Zeigler, "The Crisis Starts" (pp.67-85) in Arts in Crisis. Chicago: a cappella
books, 1994.
 Robert Brustein, “Coercive Philanthropy” (pp.218-225) in GiGi Bradford, et. al., Eds.
The Politics of Culture: Policy Perspectives for Individuals, Institutions and
Communities. NY: The New Pr, 2000.
 Lance Izumi, “How the Political Right Views Arts Funding” (pp.5-9, 25) in
Grantmakers in the Arts Newsletter. Vol. 9, no. 1, Spring 1996.
Recommended Additional Reading:
 Arthur Brooks, “Are Culture Wars Inevitable in the Arts?” Cultural Comment March
2005
 Steve Martin, “The Grand Old Opry” New Yorker, January 15, 2001
 Julie Salmon, “Culture Wars Pull Buster into the Fray” NY Times January 27, 2005
Session 5/ Sep 30
The Culture Wars: Continued
Required Readings:
 Larry Green, Harold Washington, LA Times 5-13-88
 Ofili - Barston, NYTimes 9-28-99
 Ofili – Vogel, NYTimes 9-28-99
 Ofili – Niebuhr, NYTimes 10-3-99
 Ofili – Kimmelman, NYTimes 10-5-99
 Goldberg, Hide and Seek, Atlantic Magazine, January 2011
 Frank Rich, Hide and Seek, NYTimes, 12-11-10
 Phil Kennicott, Hide and Seek, Washington Post 12-23-10
 Kate Taylor, Hide and Seek, NYTimes 1-18-11
 Mike Boehm, Hide and Seek, LATimes 1-21-11
Recommended Additional Reading:
 Art Journal Sensation Roundup will link you to a great deal of material on the
Brooklyn Museum/Sensations Controversy
Assignment:
Feedback #2 (Session 4 or 5) Due Oct 2
Session 6/Oct 7
We will screen the film: Downside Up: How Art Can Change the Spirit of a Place. Strongly
advise completing Required Readings in advance of viewing film in preparation for the class.
Required Readings:
 See www.massmoca.org, www.massculturalcouncil.org
 See Independent Lens web site on Downside Up
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/downsideup/tour.html
 Sharon Zukin, “A Museum in the Berkshires” in The Culture of Cities. Cambridge,
MA: Blackwell, 1995.
4
DRAFT AUGUST 20, 2014

New England’s Creative Economy: Nonprofit Sector Impact. New England
Foundation for the Arts, Sept 2011. See Executive Summary (pp. 2-8); Economic
Impact (pp. 22-29).
http://www.nefa.org/sites/default/files/nefanonprofitreport2011_web.pdf
Assignment:
Based on the film, and utilizing Required Readings and web sites listed on the syllabus,
students will write a Policy Brief using Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass
MoCA) as a model of arts-based urban revitalization strategy. See NYU Classes for
Assignment instructions and Guidelines. Submit as an attachment to email in Word (.doc
or .docx) Paper is due by Session 9/Nov 4).
Oct 14 – NO CLASS
EXPECT ADDITIONAL READINGS BEYOND THIS POINT
THE SYLLABUS WILL BE UPDATED
Session 7/Oct 21
The Arts and the Development of Cities
Guest Speaker Dr. Roger Panetta
Visiting Professor of History
Fordham University
Will examine the history of Lincoln Center as a renewal project.
Required Reading:
Samuel Zipp, Manhattan Projects: Cold War Urbanism in the Age of Urban Renewal,
Intro, Chapter 2, 5&6
Bio of Roger Panetta
Roger Panetta is a Visiting Professor of History at Fordham University, Curator of Fordham
University Libraries' Hudson River Collection. Prior to that, Dr. Panetta was Professor and
Chair of History at Marymount College of Fordham University. In addition to his university
appointments he is an affiliated faculty with The Beacon Institute for the Study of Rivers and
Estuaries and a Visiting Fellow in a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Center for Humanities.
Session 8/Oct 28
The Arts and the Development of Cities 2: creativity as urban revitalization strategy.
Required Readings:
 Ruth Ann Stewart, “Role of the Arts in Urban Revitalization” (pp.105-128) in CSW
 Richard Florida. "Preface" and “The Transformation of Everyday Life"(pp. ix-ill, 117) in The Rise of the Creative Class. NY: Basic Books, 2002.
Session 9/Nov 4
Detroit – Public Policy/Public Trust
Required Readings:
 Detroit Fire Sale-WSJ 6-3-13
 DIA art takes center stage Freep 5-26-13
 Of Course Detroit Should Sell The Paintings – Forbes
 Michigan AG Opinion on DIA
 Detroit Plan for Creditors
5
DRAFT AUGUST 20, 2014
Reminder
Proposals for final research paper topic due to instructor for approval as a Word (.doc or
.docx) attachment to an email by Friday, Nov 7. See NYU Classes for requirements and
guidelines. Code Subject Box: PROPOSAL /Student’s Last Name.
Session 10/Nov 11
The Creative Industries: technology, creativity, and the public good in the digital age
Required Readings:

Copyright Timeline: A History of Copyright in the United States.
www.arl.org/pp/ppcopyright/copyresources/copytimeline.shtml
 Harold Vogel, “Capital, Commerce, and the Creative Industries” (pp.143-154) in
CSW
 Phu Nguyen, “Internet as Medium: Art, Law, and the Digital Environment” (pp.155170) in CSW
 Neil Turkewitz, “Copyright, Fair Use and the Public Interest,” Center for Arts and
Culture, Washington, DC. Dec 2004
 Robert Darnton, “The Library in the New Age” in NY Review of Books 6/12/08
 NYU Classes articles
Recommended Websites:
 Center for Democracy and Technology www.cdt.org for legal, technological, and
policy issues (e.g., piracy, copyright, FCC rulings, Digital Copyright Millennium Act,
etc.) driving the policy debate.
 Recording Industry Association of America www.riaa.org
 Association of Research Libraries www.arl.org
 Motion Picture Association of America www.mpaa.org
 Copyright Society of USA www.csusa.org
 Creative Commons www.creativecommons.org
Session 11/Nov 18
Guest Lecturer: Richard Haas
This session will take place at Hass’ studio
361 West 36th Street
A very quick 2 or 3 stops from Wash Sq to 34th St on the A, C or E
Required Readings:
Posted on NYU Classes
Assignment Based on the readings and your research, each student will prepare 2 questions,
in advance, for Richard Haas. Prepare questions in Hard Copy and hand them in at the
beginning of the class. You are encouraged to explore how the Artist sees the urban
environment, and what his intervention means.
Session 12/Nov 25
No class Scheduled. This is the preparation period for the teams to meet and finalize their
presentations for Session 12
6
DRAFT AUGUST 20, 2014


Students will meet with their team to develop the argument for or against
downloading (using both illegal and legal systems) of films, recordings, or books
from the perspective of one of the assigned interest groups.
See NYU Classes for list of team members, Assignment and Guidelines
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY NOV 27 – NOV 30
Session 13/Dec 2
To Download or Not to Download?
Team Presentations
Session 14/Dec 9
Cultural Diplomacy: U.S. cultural policy in a globalized world
 Aimee Fullman. U.S. Public and Cultural Diplomacy Timeline (Oct 1999-Dec 2009).
 Cynthia Schneider. “There’s an Art to Telling the World about America” in Wash
Post 8/25/02.
 Pamela Hyde Smith, “The Hard Road Back to Soft Power” in Georgetown Journal of
International Affairs. Winter/Spring 2007.
 Michael DiNiscia, Thomas McIntyre & Ruth Ann Stewart, Eds. “Moving Forward: A
Renewed Role for American Arts and Artists in the Global Age” (pp. 307-315) in
Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. Winter 2009.
 Martha Bayles. “The Return of Cultural Diplomacy” Newsweek 12/30/2008.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/12/31/the-return-of-culturaldiplomacy.html
 See Univ of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy for variety of timely
reports on cultural diplomacy www.uscpublicdiplomacy.org
NYU Classes articles
FINAL TERM PAPERS are due in digital form by 12:00 noon, Wed. December 17.
Submit in Word (.doc or .docx) as an attachment to an email with Student Name/Final
Paper in the subject line.
7