Arts Policy Research Articles

Learning in continuous action space for developing high dimensional potential energy models

Reinforcement learning (RL) approaches that combine a tree search with deep learning have found remarkable success in searching exorbitantly large, albeit discrete action spaces, as in chess, Shogi and Go. Many real-world materials discovery and design applications, however, involve multi-dimensional search problems and learning domains that have continuous action spaces. Exploring high-dimensional potential energy models of materials is an example. Traditionally, these searches are time consuming (often several years for a single bulk system) and driven by human intuition and/or expertise and more recently by global/local optimization searches that have issues with convergence and/or do not scale well with the search dimensionality. Here, in a departure from discrete action and other gradient-based approaches, we introduce a RL strategy based on decision trees that incorporates modified rewards for improved exploration, efficient sampling during playouts and a “window scaling scheme" for enhanced exploitation, to enable efficient and scalable search for continuous action space problems. Using high-dimensional artificial landscapes and control RL problems, we successfully benchmark our approach against popular global optimization schemes and state of the art policy gradient methods, respectively. We demonstrate its efficacy to parameterize potential models (physics based and high-dimensional neural networks) for 54 different elemental systems across the periodic table as well as alloys. We analyze error trends across different elements in the latent space and trace their origin to elemental structural diversity and the smoothness of the element energy surface. Broadly, our RL strategy will be applicable to many other physical science problems involving search over continuous action spaces.

Faces of Tradition in Chinese Performing Arts

Faces of Tradition in Chinese Performing Arts

Creativity, health and wellbeing: challenges of research and evidence

Creativity, health and wellbeing (CHW) has emerged as a multidisciplinary field of research, policy and practice over the last 20 years. Its beginnings can be traced from the establishment of art therapies in the post war period and from the growth of community arts in the 1960s, which fostered connections between arts professionals, researchers, educators and policy advocates seeking to respond to local challenges (White, 2009). Subsequently the CHW field has grown through evidence building, advocacy and sector development and there is now a wider recognition of the contribution of arts and cultural engagement to a wide range of policy objectives. For example, policies such as social prescribing view arts spaces, activities and resources as community assets that can be used to improve health, to support people living with long-term conditions and to reduce pressure on health services. Nevertheless, the successful integration of arts and creativity into policy and practice is some way off, partly because of ongoing theoretical, methodological and political challenges (Daykin, 2020).

AN ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICABLE LAWS ON THE PROTECTION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS IN NAMIBIA

Traditional knowledge (TK) and cultural expressions are morevulnerable to infringements because of their nature and the lack of protection as intellectual property (IP) under many legal systems. TK can, however, contribute to the social and economic development of a country, the preservation of cultural heritage, and the increase in innovation and invention. It is for this reason that it is important to enact laws and formulate policies that recognise, promote, and protect TK and cultural expressions. An analysis was made on the protection offered under Namibian laws to holders of TK and cultural expressions and considered the adequacy and effectiveness of such laws. The findings show that on a regional level, Namibia is a party to the Swakopmund Protocol on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore, however, the Protocol has not been incorporated into national IP-related laws. In terms of domestic laws, there are no IP laws that expressly recognise and protect works of TK and cultural expression. However, there are policies such as the National Intellectual Property Policy 2019-2024 and the Namibia Arts, Culture and Heritage Policy 2021/2022-2023/2026, which recognises the value of TK and the need to protect TK and cultural expressions. Therefore, it is recommended that government should develop a sui generis system that can help foster the preservation and development of TK and cultural expressions. The system should take into consideration the current social and economic structures so that it can be effective. The Swakopmund Protocol on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore can be used as a guide in developing a sui generis system for Namibia.

The Representation and Agency of Artistic Interventions in Community in Mainland China

Based on immersive participatory observation of the curatorial practice of the 2019 OCAT exhibition Rural Construction through Art in Shenzhen, we identified two modes of community-based artistic interventions: a cultural “governance/capital” intervention deeply embedded in the social structure and a collective experimental art production intervention dissociated from the social structure. However, both forms of “production art” are essentially “unities of opposites” integrating incorporation and resistance, consistent with the socialist art policy of promoting the flourishing of all types of arts. Though the aesthetic divide between “art for society’s sake” and “art for art’s sake” positions these artistic interventions in different places in society, we argue that the domain of Chinese contemporary art is shifting away from the studio and toward scenes, events, experience, and dialogue. The approach of “the era of mass art” also means that “art-as-resistance” is being legitimized as “art-as-incorporation” in a subtle but unremitting way.

무용공연의 직업적 전문성과 노동성 연구

As dance begins to be recognized as an independent area in arts, the existence and authority of dancers who are experts in it becomes clear. This proves that there exists the profession of a dancer and its originality and professionalism is recognized. In recent society, the artistic value of creating dance is recognized, and the improvement in treatment of those engaged is pursued. In Korea, a system is prepared based on the various creative activities of dancers and welfare systems are being implemented. However, whether dancers are qualified for incorporating into the welfare system and benefited from it depends upon the viewpoint of considering dance as labor. Therefore, this study examines the reality of the social security system including the actual income of dancers, their registration as artists, classified wages according to characteristics of their works etc. This thesis deals with not only practical problems, but also suggestions according to the art policy system.

The Arts Council at a Crossroad: stories from Britain and South Korea

The Arts Council is at a crossroad today. In both Britain and South Korea, its role has been reduced from the self-organized “policymaker” to “policy taker,” and it now adopts a broad, relativist understanding of culture. Yet, Arts Council England and Arts Council Korea are envisaging their future differently. The former works within the explicated cultural policy framework and embraces its new roles as a national developmental agency, keenly exploring the broadened understanding of culture. The latter is desperately seeking its future in reinforcing self-organization of arts policy and minimizing the influences by non-artistic factors.

War Biennali in 1940 and 1942: taste and sales during the Fascist era

ABSTRACT This article focuses on sale drivers at the 1940 and 1942 Biennali. The comparison between the two editions underlines the crucial role played by Milanese gallerist Ettore Gian Ferrari who headed the Biennale’s sales office in 1942, after the previous edition’s disappointing commercial results. He managed to increase the purchases substantially, especially by private collectors, following the National Education Minister Giuseppe Bottai’s plan to promote contemporary art. During the Second World War, the Biennale was a privileged platform to observe the relationships between public and private sectors, and between ideology and culture. Bottai’s strategy aimed at opposing the Italian submission to Nazi artistic policies. He stressed the peculiarities of Italian art as an identity-making process combining tradition and modernity and sought to preserve and defend the ‘quality ’of the artworks. This article analyses how issues such as investment, prestige, nationalism, taste intervened in the purchases by private collectors. Moreover it surveys Gian Ferrari’s skills as gallerist, the massive boom experienced by the art market during the war, Bottai’s strong influence. Alberto Salietti’s success, with twenty paintings sold at the 1942 Biennale, is an exemplary case to grasp the mechanisms of a war art market, a complex and above all unpredictable setting.

The Making of Contemporary Art in Tanzania

The Making of Contemporary Art in Tanzania

0264 The Arts Policy of the Habsburg Empire in the Long 19th Century – "for the Good of Internal Peace within the Empire"

0264 The Arts Policy of the Habsburg Empire in the Long 19th Century – "for the Good of Internal Peace within the Empire"

Collections de marionnettes et politiques du spectacle vivant

On assiste, depuis une quinzaine d’années, à un accroissement notable de la visibilité des collections de marionnettes en France. Le symbole en est sans doute la mise en ligne du Portail des arts de la marionnette en 2011, porté par l’Institut international de la marionnette, en partenariat avec des institutions patrimoniales, des théâtres, des compagnies ou des associations professionnelles, et qui présente, conjointement, la création, les artistes contemporains et les collections patrimoniales. Au regard de ce contexte fortement incitatif, et à partir d’une enquête auprès des principales institutions détentrices de collections marionnettiques, comme de figures majeures dans le champ des arts de la marionnette, l’article envisage les stratégies de développement et de valorisation des collections mises en œuvre dans les principales institutions patrimoniales ou en dehors du champ proprement muséal. Il examine l’infléchissement des politiques d’acquisition au regard des principes qui ont prévalu pour les collections fondatrices de ces institutions et les effets qu’induit l’influence croissante des acteurs professionnels de la marionnette (syndicats, associations professionnelles, festivals et lieux de formation) en matière d’expertise et de soutien logistique, à la fois en termes de définition du champ (vers les artistes contemporains de la marionnette de création, plutôt que vers la marionnette traditionnelle, à l’échelle tant régionale que mondiale), de hiérarchisation des priorités, de choix du corpus et de finalités.

A Study on the Direction of Art Policy through Semantic Network Analysis in New Normal Era

A Study on the Direction of Art Policy through Semantic Network Analysis in New Normal Era

Artifact-oriented learning: a theoretical review of the impact of the arts on learning

Traditional reviews of arts education have focused on why the arts are valuable for learning, but the arts’ contributions to cross-disciplinary discourse remain undertheorized. In this article, we provide a theoretical review of the arts and learning to suggest a new way of thinking about how the arts contribute to learning across disciplines through a focus on the production of artifacts. Guided by a sociocultural constructionist view on learning, this review brings together research from across the field of arts education to demonstrate the benefit of policies that support the production and engagement of shareable artifacts. Findings are synthesized through what we name an artifact-oriented learning model, which merges constructionism with ecological systems theory. Our review points to two key pathways of learning through the arts (i.e., making and engaging) and suggests the arts support learning that is multimodal and transactive across settings. Thus, we consider arts education policy as part of a sociocultural process that has rippling effects across disciplines for all layers of a social ecology. Given this orientation, implications for researchers and policymakers are discussed to support decision-making and continued inquiry across arts education research and policy.

The potential of arts partnerships to support teachers: learning from the field

ABSTRACT In recent years, arts partnerships have gained increased popularity as a means of delivering arts education and art-in-education in schools. Creating opportunities for both teachers and artists alike, arts partnerships can enhance a shared sense of purpose and mutual respect, while also developing creative skills, knowledge and expertise. Although many studies on both national and international levels have identified the successes and challenges of arts partnerships in schools, a gap in how these partnerships can enhance teachers’ professional development regarding arts education still exists. Therefore, this article discusses the potential impact of arts partnerships and whether these collaborations can act as a professional development initiative, to potentially enable and support teachers in their enhancement of arts education. The evidenced impacts, possibilities and indeed, challenges of such arts partnerships in schools are explored while arts partnerships approaches, policies and directions on a both national and international level, are also discussed. Literature is also critically reviewed regarding the facilitation of, and teacher professional development in, arts education.

Bad parrhesia: the limits of cynicism in the public sphere

Bad parrhesia: the limits of cynicism in the public sphere

Unfolding China’s Urban Development: The Implementation of Public Art in Beijing and Shanghai

During China’s speeding urbanization, creating a unique city image to achieve economic growth draws the attention of property developers, urban planners, and city administrations. Through activating urban spaces and creating dynamic urban culture, public art plays an effective role in leading modern urban creative capital investment into China’s urban development. In order to understand the implementation of public art in Beijing and Shanghai, this research aims to analyze the resonance between public art and urbanization in Chinese megacities through selected case studies. The study reveals public art guided by urbanization policy and strategy in metropolitan China, which further unfolds the discontinuous and fragmented relationship between public art, public sphere, and urbanization policies. Through discovering the imbalances between public art investment, implementation, and post-implementation management frameworks, the study provides several approaches to boost China’s urban development for achieving the resonance between public art and urbanization.

The Pretty Face of Inequality: Arts Attendance in Panama

If arts attendance is used to activate social comparison processes that strengthen group boundaries, it could help maintain or even increase conflict between different social groups as they are seen as opportunities to openly celebrate that resources are unequally shared in society. This article explores whether levels of education, income and occupation affect the likelihood of attending artistic events in Panama, one of the most unequal countries in Latin America. Using a binary logistic model, it models this likelihood testing two hypotheses. First, it is assumed that these drivers work as “sticks” that affect separately arts attendance. Then these variables are binned as a composite variable or bundle of sticks that proxies for group membership. Given the incipient state of cultural data and analysis in the field in Panama, the article seeks primarily to contribute to the theoretical conversation on art policies in small countries with high levels of inequality and the effects on economic disparity of efforts to increase attendance to artistic events.

Adalékok Kondor Béla sors-történetéhez

Adalékok Kondor Béla sors-történetéhez

An Analysis of Culture and Arts Support Policy for Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

본 연구는 COVID-19 감염병 위기와 관련된 문화예술지원정책을 분석하고, 향후 사회적 재난에 대응하는 문화예술지원정책 방향을 제시하는 데 그 목적이 있다. 연구 목적을 달성하기 위해, 감염병위기, COVID-19, 문화예술지원정책에 대한 문헌을 고찰했다. COVID-19 이후에 발표된 문화예술지원정책의 분석을 위해, 관련 정부기관과 16개 광역문화재단의 웹사이트와 문헌, 보도 기사 등을 검토했다. 분석 결과를 바탕으로 문화예술지원정책의 미래 방향을 다음과 같이 제시했다. 첫째, COVID-19 감염병 위기로 드러난 문화예술계의 취약성과 생태계를 고려한 종합적이고 장기적인 지원 계획을 수립해야 한다. 둘째, 새로운 창작 환경과 소비구조의 변화에 대비할 수 있는 지원 체계로의 전환이 요구된다. 셋째, 공동체가 자율성을 갖고 지속적으로 문화예술정책을 수립하고 추진할수 있는 구조로 전환되어야 한다. 넷째, 문화예술인이 창작할 수 있는 환경을 구축하고 실질적으로생존을 할 수 있도록 하기 위해, 정부는 복지를 확대하고, 생계 안전망을 확보하며, 고용환경을 개선하고, 일자리를 창출하며, 조직경영 지원 등을 해야 한다.The purpose of this study is to suggest the direction of the culture and arts support policy in response to social disasters, such as COVID-19. For achieving the research objective and analyzing the culture and arts support policies announced after COVID-19, we reviewed websites, literature, and news reports of related government agencies and 16 regional cultural foundations. Based on the results, the future direction of the culture and arts support policy was presented as follows. First, it is necessary to establish a comprehensive and long-term support plan that takes into account the vulnerabilities and ecosystems of the culture and arts community. Second, it is required to switch to a support system that can prepare for a new creative environment and changes in consumption structure. Third, it must be transformed into a structure in which the community can have autonomy and continuously establish and promote culture and art policies. Fourth, in order to build an environment in which cultural artists can create and survive in reality, the government expands welfare, secures a livelihood safety net, improves the employment environment, creates jobs, and supports organizational management.

Genius fails to appear: the Atlantic Awards in literature, 1946–1950

ABSTRACT A recurring problem in arts policy concerns support for individual artists and authors. The Atlantic Awards in Literature, a little-known experiment by the Rockefeller Foundation in the years immediately following the second world war, aimed to encourage younger British writers whose careers had been interrupted by the war. By the end of the five-year grant period, a total of 58 authors had received support; among the best-known perhaps were W.S. Graham, Kathleen Raine, Laurie Lee, Philip Toynbee, and Robert Kee. Although the Rockefeller Foundation considered its initial grant a success and indeed renewed support for the project in 1948, no British patrons agreed to continue the project and critical opinion about postwar literary work remains largely unfavorable. Despite this apparent failure, the Atlantic Awards may have had a lasting impact on the evolution of American support for creative writing and the arts. The Rockefeller Foundation soon provided grants for fellowships to leading American literary reviews and to the creative writing program at the University of Iowa. In this respect, the Atlantic Awards pointed the way to increased foundation support for creative writing and the arts at a time when the federal government provided no direct support for the arts in the United States.