"RAND Research in the Arts."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-68).

1. Introduction -- 2. At arms-length -- SAAS governance structure and decisionmaking processes -- Insulation or isolation? -- 3. Catalysts for change -- Budgetary trends -- Political developments -- 4. Making the case for the arts in Montana -- A brief history of the Montana Arts Council -- Montana's new strategy : marketing the arts and the agency -- 5. New priorities for public arts funding in Maine -- A brief history of the Maine Arts Commission -- The Maine strategy : strengthening communities, strengthening alliances -- 6. The strategic management of SAAS -- The public value framework -- Relevance to other states -- 7. At arms-length-- but dancing -- Appendix A. Some facts about state arts agencies -- Appendix B. Montana Arts Council's listening tour.

Even though a majority of Americans claim to support public funding of the arts, state government spending on the arts is minimal--and may be losing ground relative to other types of state expenditures. Moreover, most state arts agencies, or SAAs, have not succeeded in convincing state government leaders that the arts should be integral to their planning for their states' futures. This report, the second in a series commissioned by The Wallace Foundation to cover the findings of a multiyear RAND Corporation study of SAAs' changing roles and missions, examines SAA leaders' efforts to more firmly establish their agencies' value to state government in a changing political and fiscal environment. Case studies of two SAAs are used to illustrate a more strategic approach to public management, and to clarify some of the risks and rewards of bringing the arts and political worlds closer together.

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