Arlene Goldbard is one the most respected authors on community cultural development, known for speaking truth to power and for her visionary and graceful prose. Her seminal books and essays are widely read in the United States and other English-speaking countries--among them, Crossroads: Reflections on the Politics of Culture; Community, Culture and Globalization and this book's antecedent, Creative Community. "My hat's off to Arlene Goldbard for mapping the territory where art and democracy meet. She connects the practices, principles, theory and history of community cultural development and makes a powerful case that it is the most significant work in the arts today. No one has done this before. New Creative Community is an important book with the legs to last a long time."
>"Goldbard has written a book that is vast without being superficial. Her incisive understanding of how politics, history, and culture interact and her deep appreciation of what community-minded artists contribute to society combine to produce an utterly readable book with great heart, mind, and spirit. Dazzling."
--Jan Cohen-Cruz, associate professor of drama at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts; Author of Local Acts: Community-Based Performance in the United States "A powerful description of how community-driven art can transform and improve American society. Important eye-opening reading for funders, civic leaders, artists and social entrepreneurs."
>"Arlene Goldbard's book is an inspirational breakthrough for community cultural development, starting with the term she chooses to describe the field itself. Bursting with useful examples from across the United States and beyond... This brilliant book gave me insights and, especially, hope for the future of the arts in this country."
--Bill Rauch, Founding Artistic Director, Cornerstone Theater Company, Claire Trevor Professor of Drama, University of California, Irvine, and Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival