Zócalo Public Square

What is the nature of the relationship between embracing the arts and participating in the life of a community? When and under what circumstances do the arts bind people and places together—and when do they divide us? And what do we need from the arts at a moment when many people are more isolated, and our civic life more polarized? These questions were discussed during a panel, “Does Art Really Make Us Better Citizens?” at a Zócalo/Irvine Foundation conference, “What Can the World Teach California About Arts Engagement?” moderated by Suse Anderson, co-host of Museopunks and Assistant Professor of museum studies at George Washington University. The speakers included Middle East Institute Arts & Culture Program director Lyne Sneige; Arts and Humanities chair of Mexico’s Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Lerma, Luz María Sánchez; global arts consultant Gail Dexter Lord; and cultural historian and chair of Theatre at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Lynne Conner.