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The Berkshires are home to an array of arts and culture organizations, and 13 schools districts. Connecting these two worlds often means overcoming barriers of distance and transportation. Lisa Donovan, Professor of Arts Management at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, discusses efforts underway to create a regional, rural model for collaboration between arts education and cultural institutions. Through collective thinking they are working to ensure that their schools mirror the rich cultural assets of their communities.
Lisa Donovan, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Fine and Performing Arts Department at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Prior to this she served as Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Creative Arts in Learning Division at Lesley University.
Lisa has broad experience working as an arts educator and administrator in a variety of arts organizations including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Berkshire Opera Company, Barrington Stage Company, University of Massachusetts’ Department of Theater, Boston University’s Theater, Visual Arts and Tanglewood Institutes. She served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education and is the co-editor/author of a five-book series on arts integration published by Shell Education. Most recently she conducted research on leveraging change for arts education in rural areas. She was voted Best Professor in the 2017 as part of Berkshire Eagle’s Best of the Berkshires competition and was a finalist in the 2018 1Berkshire Trendsetters Award for Creative Economy Standout.
“Leveraging Change: Increasing Access to Arts Education in Rural Areas” (PDF)
Arts Education in Rural Communities: What’s Working | NEA – Recorded webinar
Arts Education in Rural Communities: What’s Working
by Ayanna N. Hudson, NEA Director of Arts Education
So cool Lisa! You were my professor about 13 years ago at Lesley, I am thrilled to learn that you are continuing to inspire.