The evidence behind the work.
A research hub for anyone building creative culture — a festival, a space, a program, a movement. Plain summaries of the studies that shape how I work, each one cited so you can go to the source. This is the reading that informs the building.
2026
-
Funding equity
How arts money concentrates — and who gets left out
A 2017 study found 2% of U.S. cultural institutions collect about 60% of all contributed revenue.
-
Arts & health
What making art does to the body
A Drexel study measured cortisol before and after 45 minutes of art making. Levels dropped, regardless of skill.
-
Placemaking
What creative placemaking actually means
The 2010 NEA white paper that named arts-led community development — and why a cultural space is infrastructure.
-
Economics
The arts are infrastructure
Federal data puts the arts at 4.3% of U.S. GDP — $1.1 trillion in 2022, growing faster than the overall economy.
-
Community
Art and the social fabric
Putnam's distinction between bonding and bridging social capital, and what it means for programming.
-
Belonging
Belonging is a health metric
A meta-analysis of 148 studies found strong social ties raise survival odds by 50%.
2025
-
Belonging
Loneliness and the fifteen cigarettes
Where the "as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day" claim comes from — and where it gets oversold.
-
Arts & health
When the WHO looked at the arts
In 2019 the WHO reviewed over 900 publications: the arts help prevent illness, promote health, and support treatment.
-
Access
What one museum trip does to a kid
A randomized study of nearly 11,000 students found a single field trip raised tolerance, empathy, and critical thinking.
-
Arts & health
Culture and living longer
A Swedish study of nearly 13,000 people: those who rarely attended cultural events died sooner than those who went often.
-
Arts & health
Why music feels like that
A chill from a favorite song is real chemistry — dopamine, the same reward signal as food.
-
Community
Singing breaks the ice
Over seven months, a singing group bonded faster than classes doing crafts or creative writing. The ice-breaker effect.
-
Community
Moving in time together
Why armies march and congregations sway: acting in synchrony makes people cooperate more, even at personal cost.
-
Wellbeing
Everyday creativity and flourishing
A diary study of 658 people: on days they did something creative, they felt better the next day. Making came first.
-
Community
Awe makes people generous
Across five studies, awe made people more generous and helpful. A smaller self makes more room for others.
-
Placemaking
The case for third places
Ray Oldenburg named the missing piece of community life — the neutral ground where a neighborhood actually meets.
More on the practice and the book at Creative Belonging ↗