The Politics of Culture and Technology

March 8, 2000

Washington, DC - The Center for Arts and Culture, America's first independent think tank for arts and culture, will sponsor a free public program, Calling the Question: "The Politics of Culture and Technology,” and book publication party on Tuesday, March 14, 2000 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm in the National Building Museum Auditorium, 401 F Street NW, Washington, DC. An open reception celebrating the publication of the Center's new book, The Politics of Culture: Policy Perspectives for Individuals, Institutions and Communities, will follow the program.

As the campaigns for the next President and the next Congress heat up, technology will be on the agenda. What are the cultural issues in technology candidates should be debating on the stump and in Washington? To discuss these questions, join Moderator, James Allen Smith, President of the Center for Arts and Culture, and panelists:

Adam Clayton Powell III,
Vice President for Technology and Programs, The Freedom Forum;
Lori Perine,
Senior Policy Advisor for Computing Information and Communications, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy;
Jerry Berman,
Executive Director, Center for Policy and Technology;
Patricia Aufderheide,
Associate Professor in the School of Communications at American University.

In the Washington Post on February 29th, Richard Morin and Claudia Deane noted that the Center’s new book The Politics of Culture “will get Washington to think as seriously about the nation’s cultural life as it does about Bosnia or tax policy.” Artists, scholars, and policymakers across political persuasions now recognize the need to address culture’s role in society. The Politics of Culture: Policy Perspectives for Individuals, Institutions and Communities, available from The New Press(800/233-4830), brings together important recent thinking in this emerging field. Featuring fresh research and thought-provoking commentary, the essays provide a compelling outline for the future of American cultural policy.


The Center for Arts and Culture is grateful for the continuing support of The Howard Gilman Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Over the past year it has received additional support from The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Henry Luce Foundation.