Arts and Entertainment

Overview

• Adult Participation in Selected Leisure Activities by Frequency 2008
  
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• Art-Goers in Their Communities
  Patterns of Civic and Social Engagement Data from the 2008 SPPA show that American adults who attend art museums or live art performances are far more likely than non-attendees to vote, volunteer, or take part in other community events. Arts participants also show a greater likelihood of involvement in sports, collaborative art-making, and taking their children to performances.
  
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• How the United States Funds the Arts
  The report by the National Endowment for the Arts describes how the federal government supports arts.
  
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• Distinctly American Arts
  Overview of American arts, including music, dance, architecture, visual arts, and literature. Portrait of the USA, Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, 2003.
  
  
• Sports and Entertainment: Exporting Popular Culture
  The culture of sports and entertainment in the U.S., including baseball, basketball, movies, jazz, rock and roll, and country music. Portrait of the USA, Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, 2003.
  
  
• Art on the Edge
  This joint publication of the State Department's ART in Embassies Program and its Bureau of International Information Programs showcases the work of 17 contemporary American artists.
  
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• American Canvas
  An in-depth analysis and examination of the current state of the nonprofit arts in America. Gary O. Larson, National Foundation for the Arts.
  
  
• The Arts Today 
  This e-journal provides a brief look at the state of the arts in the U. S. Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, 1998.
  
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• 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts
  Annual survey from the National Endowment for the Arts.
  
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• The Performing Arts in the GDP 
  The National Endowment for the Arts report discusses the impact of performing arts events on the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).
  
  
• National Endowment for the Humanities Strategic Plan
  An overview of the strategies adopted by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
  
  
• International Data on Government Spending on the Arts
  This National Endowment for the Arts research note compares government public arts expenditures in the U.S. with the spending levels of other countries.
  
  
• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation                                     
  Information from the 2009 Statistical Abstract of the U.S. that presents data on the arts, entertainment, and recreation sectors of the U.S. economy.

Dance

• Dance Gallery
  Images of dance in America.

• Dance: A Constantly Evolving Tradition
  Article from e-journal on contemporary U.S. dance and profiles of a dancer and choreographer. Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, 2003.

• Dance At the Close of the Century
  A brief profile of U.S. choreographer Mark Morris.

• Invitation to the Dance
  An overview of the materials in the dance collections of the Library of Congress.
  
  
• Spotlight Biography:  Modern Dance
  Brief biographies of American dance stars.
  

Movies

• The Movie Business Today
  This issue of eJournal USA analyzes the increasing internationalization of the film industry, both in terms of audiences and filmmaking talent; the rise of a more personal style of independent filmmaking in recent years; the market for foreign-produced films in the United States; and the effects of the Internet and the digital revolution on how movies get made and distributed. Shorter pieces focus on film festivals like Sundance that seed young talent and some film studios' efforts to go green in making movies.
  
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• Film: Movies and Modern America
  Article on contemporary U. S. film from 2003 e-journal. Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.

• National Film Preservation Act of 1996, Fact Sheet
  The Act reauthorizes the National Film Preservation Board, and establishes the National Film Preservation Foundation.
  

Literature

• USA Literature in Brief
  USA Literature in Brief pinpoints and describes the contributions to American literature of some of the best-recognized American poets, novelists, philosophers and dramatists from pre-Colonial days through the present. Major literary figures are discussed in detail, as are their major works. Brief discussions of cultural periods and movements such as romanticism, modernism, and transcendentalism put individuals in context and lend perspective. This condensed version of Outline of American Literature highlights major achievers and important works in the canon.
  
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• Multicultural Literature in the United States Today
  The United States is enriched culturally by immigrants from many nations. This edition of eJournal USA focuses on distinguished American writers from various ethnic backgrounds who add immeasurably to mutual understanding and appreciation through tales of their native lands and their experiences as Americans.
  
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• Writers on America
  Fifteen writers reflect on the considerable diversity of American writing today.

• Literature Gallery
  Images of famous writers.

• Literature: Snapshots From the Bridge
  Article on contemporary U.S. literature and information on Jill McCorkle and Jason Epstein.

• Selected American Authors Overview
  Short biographies of selected American authors.
  

Music

• American Popular Music
  American popular music is a kaleidoscopic mélange of styles and dreams. Its vibrancy reflects the mating of cultural diversity to artistic and creative freedom. The stories in this book illustrate how Americans, borrowing from diverse musical traditions, have contributed to humanity’s universal language.
  
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• Music Gallery
  Images of famous American musicians.

• Music: The Quintessential American Sound
  Article on contemporary U.S. music, featuring Elliot Goldenthal and David Gockley.

• The Music of Americans
  A description of the materials in the music collections of the Library of Congress.
  

• Hip-Hop Music an Outlet for Self-Expression
  African-American and Latino teens with turntables and time on their hands in the 1970s invented hip-hop — a musical style born in the United States and now the center of a huge music and fashion industry around the world.
  

• Spotlight Biography:  Jazz and Blues
  Brief biographies of America's preeminent blues and jazz musicians.
  

• New Music for a New Century
  Author Joshua Kosman explores the changes in classical music since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
  

Sports

• The Olympic Experience
  This 2008 eJournal celebrates the Olympics through the individual experiences and insights of athletes who share their memories of the Olympic Experience.
  
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Theater

• Theater Gallery
   Images of famous actors and actresses.

• Theater: Playwrights New and Old
  Article on contemporary U.S. theater, including information on Regina Taylor and Carey Perloff.

• The Theater
  A brief description of the theater collections located in the Library of Congress.

• Spotlight Biography:  The Musical Theater
  Short biographies of three major figures in American musical theater.

• U.S. Theater in the Nineties:  A Heartland Perspective
  An article describing the decentralization of American theater.

Visual Arts

• Visual Arts Gallery
  Images of famous American artists.
  
  
• The Visual Arts: Blurring the Boundaries
  Article on contemporary U.S. visual arts, including information on Tom Friedman and Kathy Halbreich.