S1:E7 Enabling impact through cultural research – Sunil Iyengar in conversation with Adrian Ellis

The Three Bells

Summary:
In this episode, our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Sunil Iyengar, Director of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts in the US, about the increasing global demand for research, information and statistics to demonstrate the value of the arts. They also discuss the need for more longitudinal and qualitative research, especially community-based participatory studies.

Thereafter, Adrian is joined by fellow host Criena Gehrke to discuss key takeaways. They concur on the importance of meaningful qualitative research, especially collaborative and cross-sectoral projects.

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References:

1. National Endowment for the Arts
2. Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account
3. NEA Research Labs
4. Artists’ Use of Technology as a Creative Medium
5. The Diversity of Performing Arts Audiences: Weighing Organizational Factors and Business Decisions
6. National Endowment for the Arts Research Agenda: FY 2017‐2021

Bio:

Sunil Iyengar is the Director of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which is an independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Under his leadership, the NEA has produced dozens of research reports, hosted periodic research events and webinars, led strategic plan development for the agency, and established research and data partnerships with the U.S Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. His office also conducts program evaluations and performance measurement for the Arts Endowment. Working with his team, Iyengar has created and pursued a long-term research agenda (based partly on an arts “system map” his office helped to design), founded a national data repository for the arts, and launched two awards programs for arts researchers, including the NEA Research Labs initiative. He chairs a federal Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development. For nearly a decade, he has contributed a monthly research post (titled “Taking Note”) to the agency’s official blog.

Prior to joining the agency as research director, Iyengar worked as a reporter, managing editor, and senior editor for a host of news publications covering the biomedical research, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries. He writes poems, book reviews, and literary essays. Iyengar has a BA in English from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.