FEATURE
PAPER
Is
There a Need for a Youth Arts Center in a Small Community?
An Exploratory Investigation.
The
following paper was presented at the 2007 Allied Academies
International Conference - Jacksonville. It was written
by Keramat Poorsoltan and Suhir Singh of Frostburg State
University.
Abstract
This
study explored the viability of establishing an Arts Center
in Cumberland, Maryland,
with the mission of skill development and empowerment of its
youth (broadly defined as being
anywhere within the 4-19 age range) residents. The proposed
center is envisioned as a facility for
teaching and mentoring area youth in diverse artistic disciplines
that include the fine, visual, and
performing arts. By learning and creating alongside the area’s
arts professionals, area youth get
the opportunity develop their creative skills and to potentially
earn income.
Our
investigation used target group-specific survey instruments
in order to assess both the
demand for and supply of such services from students (the
target “consumers” of
this facility) and
parents (the most likely “purchasers” or “payers” for
these services), as well as from the artists
comprising the “supply” side of the talent/expertise
pool willing to train and mentor area students.
Survey
results indicate strong support for the concept of a Youth
Art Center
from both the
demand (students and parents) and supply (artist) sides.
We found that a Youth Art Center that
caters to students in the age group 9-16 and offers classes
in various arts on an after-school or
weekend basis and costing each student between 20 and 40
per month will attract community
patronage.
The
results of this study establish a need for additional investigation
from the standpoint of
the identifying, architecturally modifying, as well as
costing of a suitable site as well as that of
sourcing needed capital from a variety of private, nonprofit,
and governmental sources towards
fulfilling this expressed need from the community. It is
hoped that this study will impel other smaller
communities to consider art centers as one of the viable
ways of engaging and empowering its youth
citizens.
Introduction
Art
is universal in nature and is known to unite people regardless
of age, ethnicity, social,
or economic background. Art centers exist throughout the United
States and cater to a range of
creative sensibilities. Those dedicated to the youth, in particular,
provide several economic, psychic,
and all-round character building benefits to the young. The
arts allow children to think creatively,
to build their own ideas, to solve problems in more than one
way and try new things. They provide
children the opportunity to express themselves and to place
their efforts in a larger cultural context.
A nurturing, creative environment instills self-confidence
and positive feelings about oneself as well
as provides a mechanism for economic well being.
Given
the above recognition and consistent with similar research
on the efficacy of youth
arts centers, referenced below, this study sought to examine
the economic viability of establishing
an Arts Center in Western Maryland with the mission of skill
development and empowerment of its
youth residents. This center is envisioned as a facility
that will employ artists to teach and mentor
area youth in diverse artistic disciplines that include the
fine, visual, and performing arts. By learning
and creating alongside the area’s arts professionals, area
youth will develop their creative
skills and have the opportunity to earn income. This training
in entrepreneurship in the relatively
early stages of life is expected not only to contribute to
enhanced self-worth for its recipients but
also serve to “incubate” a new generation of youth
entrepreneurs in this region of Western
Maryland.
A
survey of youth arts centers in the United States reveals
an almost infinite array in regard
to types of artistic activities included (drawing, metalworking,
photography, calligraphy, and
ceramics among them), pace and manner of delivery (intensive,
fast pace, or casual, leisurely,
ongoing, one-time), cost to students (sometimes free of charge,
but more often ranging from $ 5.00/hour to $ 50.00/hour per
student), composition of artists-teachers, the age of students-apprentices
(2 years to over 25 years in age), and operating budget (as
little as $ 4,000 and as high as millions
of dollars). They may offer classes after school, on weekends,
or in summer time, in “camps”. They
may be located in renovated buildings, or in new and elaborate
structures dedicated to the cause.
Some of these centers serve a handful of students; still
some have the capacity to accommodate
thousands of young, aspirant apprentices. These are distributed
in large, urban areas as well as in
smaller towns in rural areas. These youth arts centers may
have the support of government, at any
level, or wealthy philanthropists. At some places, arts created
can be sold, and yet in some other
places, art works may be allowed to stay in galleries for
demonstration only.
Within
the context of the research noted above, this study sought
to ascertain the need of
community to consume the various types of artistic training
as well as the artists to supply such
services. The following sections describe the objectives
of the research, the methodology used to
gather and analyze data, as well as the analysis and conclusions
of the study.
Read
the Entire Paper...
.
TIP
OF THE WEEK
Seven
American Cohorts
| COHORT PROFILE |
COHORT DESCRIPTION |
| Depression
cohort (born from1912-1921; came of age during
the Great Depression; ages 83-92 in 2004) |
This group’s coming-of-age experience
consisted of economic strife, elevated unemployment rates
and having
to take menial jobs to survive. Financial security-what
they most lacked when coming of age-rules their thinking. |
| Second
World War cohort (born from 1922-1927; came of
age during the Second World War; ages 78-82 in 2004) |
Sacrifice for the common good was widely accepted among
members of this cohort, as evidenced by women working in
factories for the was effort and men going off to fight.
Overall, this cohort was focused on defeating a common
enemy and their members are more team-oriented and patriotic
than those of other generational cohorts. |
| Postwar
cohort (born from 1928-1945; came of age after
WWII; ages 59-76 in 2004 |
These individuals experienced a time of remarkable economic
growth and social tranquility, a time of family togetherness,
the Korean conflict, McCarthyism, school dress codes, and
moving to the suburbs. Overall, this cohort participated
in the rise of the middle class, sought a sense of security
and stability, and expected prosperous times to continue
indefinitely. |
| Leading-edge
baby boomer cohort (born from 1946-1954;
came of age during the turmoil of the 1960s; ages 50-58
in 2004) |
This group remembers the assassination
of John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
It was the loss of JFK
that largely shaped this cohort’s values. They became
adults during the Vietnam War and watched as the first
man walked on he moon. Leading-edge boomers were dichotomous:
They championed causes (Greenpeace, civil rights, women’s
rights), yet were simultaneously hedonistic and self-indulgent
(pot, free, love, sensuality). |
| Trailing-edge
baby boomer cohort (born from 1955-1965;
came of age during the first sustained economic downturn
since the Depression; age 39-49 in 2004) |
This group witnessed the fall of Vietnam,
Watergate, and Nixon’s resignation. The oil embargo, the raging
inflation rate, and the more than 30 percent decline in
the S&P index led these individuals to be less optimistic
about their financial future than the leading-edge boomers. |
| Generation
X cohort (born from 1965-1976; came of age
during a time of instability and uncertainty; ages 28-38
in 2004) |
These are the latchkey children of divorce who have received
the most negative publicity. This cohort has delayed marriage
and children, and they do not take these commitments lightly.
More than other groups, this cohort accepts cultural diversity
and puts quality of personal life ahead of work life. They
are free agents, not team players. Despite a rocky start
into adulthood, this group shows a spirit of entrepreneurship
unmatched by any other cohort. |
| N
Generation cohort (born from 1977-?; came of age during
the Information Revolution; ages 27 and under in 2004) |
The youngest cohort is called the N Generation
or N-Gen because the advent of the Internet is a defining
event
for them, and because they will be the engine of growth
over the next two decades. While still a work in progress,
their core value structure seems to be quite different
from that of Gen-X. They are more idealistic and social-cause
oriented, without the cynical “What’s in it
for me?” free-agent mindset of many Gen-Xers. |
Schewe, C.D., and G. Meredith. 2004. Segmenting
global markets by generational cohorts: Determining motivations
by age. Journal of Consumer Behavior 4(1):51-62.
|
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CONFERENCES
ALLIED
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| Who: |
Allied
Academies
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| What: |
Fall
International Conference
|
| Where: |
Reno,
Nevada, USA |
| When: |
October 4-5, 2007 |
|
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ISBE
|
| Who: |
Institute
for
Small Business and Entrepreneurship |
| What: |
30th
Annual ISBE Conference
|
| Where: |
Heriot-Watt University, Glasgow,
Scotland |
| When: |
November 7-9, 2007 |
|
|
|
ASBE
|
| Who: |
Association for
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
|
| What: |
2007
Conference
|
| Where: |
Austin, Texas, USA |
| When: |
October 10-12, 2007 |
|
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TSCF
|
| Who: |
The
Social Capital Foundation
|
| What: |
TSCF conference
|
| Where: |
Hawaii, USA |
| When: |
November, 15-19, 2007 |
|
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AGB
|
| Who: |
Association
for Global Business
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| What: |
Nineteenth International Conference
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Marriott Key Bridge, Washington D.C.,
USA |
| When: |
November 15 - 18, 2007 |
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CALLS FOR PAPERS
Business
Research Conference
|
| Who: |
Global
Economy and Finance Journal,
Journal of Business and Policy Research, International Review of Business Research
Papers, World Business Institute
|
| What: |
Seventh
International Business Research Conference
|
| Where: |
University
of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, Australia |
| When: |
December
3-6, 2007 |
Submission
Deadline:
October 5, 2007
|
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JAABC
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| Who: |
The
Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge
|
| What: |
The
Global Management & Information Technology
Research Conference
|
| Where: |
Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan,
New York, USA |
| When: |
May 21 - 24, 2008
|
Submission
Deadline:
February 8, 2008
|
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EIBR
|
| Who: |
The Economics and
International Business Research Conference
|
| What: |
2007
Economics & International
Business Research Conference
|
| Where: |
Marriott South Beach, Miami Beach,
FL |
| When: |
December 12 - 15, 2007 |
Submission
Deadline:
September 10, 2007
|
|
|
|
SBI
|
| Who: |
Small
Business Institute
|
| What: |
2008 SBI Conference
|
| Where: |
Handlery
Hotel – San Diego, CA |
| When: |
Feb.
14-16, 2008 |
Submission
Deadline:
October 1, 2007
|
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