Social impact and arts programming

This chapter focuses on arts programming within a wide range of creative disciplines in the performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, and other forms of expression. Cultural organizations strive to select and present artistic content that both represents the institution’s core values and resonates with external stakeholders. Social impact issues are often found in a curated museum exhibit or a themed series of live performances. We explore the “value” of the arts within the context of social impact concerns such as climate change, racial injustice, immigration, women’s rights, and other urgent topics. The relationships between instrumental (e.g. economic) and intrinsic (e.g. aesthetic) purposes and outcomes of creative work are also discussed.