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  I have been contracted to write a report on "social
capital" and the arts for a research initiative led by
Robert Putnam of Harvard University, and would be grateful
for your suggestions.
    "Social capital" is a political-science term that refers
to features of social organization that facilitate
coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit. (Putnam's
definition)  It has to do with networks, long-term
associations, and the norms of behavior that result.
Professor Putnam -- author of the widely cited article
"Bowling Alone"-- believes social capital increases trust
between people, lubricates social life and the economy, and
makes it possible for government to function more
effectively. But statistics indicate that social capital in
the US has been decreasing steadily since the 1950s, as
membership falls in organizations from the PTA to the Elks
lodge to bowling leagues. Professor Putnam conducts an
ongoing nationwide seminar of community and political
leaders looking for solutions to the problem of civic
disengagement.
    The so-called Saguaro Seminar includes local activists,
union organizers, business people, local officials, and so
on from across the country, along with a few nationally
visible figures like Steve Goldsmith and George
Stephanopoulos. Liz Lerman, whose Dance Exchange uses dance
as a vehicle to get communities to tell their stories, is
also a member of the seminar. More information (including an
explanation of the name) is available on-line if you are a
Web user at: http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/saguaro)
    The topic of the early June session in Santa Fe, NM will
be the relationship between the arts and social capital –
that is, how the fine arts can help increase the bonds of
trust and reciprocity that foster collective action in
communities. A great deal has been written about social
capital and fields such as religion, the workplace, and
government, but very little about social capital and
cultural policy. Yet, the arts have contributed to social
capital -- not simply by raising attendance at performances
and exhibitions (participation in isolation does not
constitute social capital), but by creating ongoing
dialogues and social ties through the arts.
    I have contacted you not because I expect you to solve
the question of civic re-engagement through the arts, but
rather in the hope that you know of important examples or
have read interesting  articles that might elicit fruitful
conversation and lead the group to certain  conclusions
about how best to increase civic engagement through the
arts.
    I will be assembling my overview in the next two or
three weeks and would very much appreciate your timely reply
to my direct address. Thank you in advance for taking a
moment to consider this important question.

Sincerely yours,


Jason Edward Kaufman

Tel: 617.628.5757 or 628.4044
Fax: 617.495.1489
Email: [log in to unmask]