In the report, "Reggae to Rachmaninoff: How and Why People Participate in Arts and Culture" (PDF: 396 KB), authors Chris Walker, Stephanie Scott-Melnyk, and Kay Sherwood hope to "inform those who aim to broaden and diversify cultural participation and promote the role of arts and culture in strengthening American communities." In their research, they find, for example, that "people are more likely to attend arts and cultural events at community locations than at specialized arts venues." They also reference other reports that claim that cultural participation, broadly defined, produces "strong city and neighborhood economies, educated and self-confident youth, and socially vibrant neighborhoods."

All across Upstate New York, communities are creating opportunities for residents to engage in public arts events. As individuals and organizations gather to collaboratively plan events, they not only create products - in the form of festivals, art shows, or concerts - but they also, perhaps more importantly, build their capacity for working together. This capacity can lead to greater participation and more effective planning of the institutional, economic, and political aspects of civic life.

The "gallery" section of this site highlights a few of the many examples of how art of every discipline is enlivening public spaces across the state. Most of these communities feature the work of local artists and most events take place outside conventional arts venues. Though this small sample can't begin to represent the wealth of activity in this area, it can perhaps provide a jumping off point for exploring related Web sites and actually investigating and experiencing local public art happenings.