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Mason ARC logo: George Mason University Arts Research Center

The George Mason University Arts Research Center is a multidisciplinary research center involving the expertise of three faculty members at George Mason University, with a focus on arts engagement, child development, and education. The overarching goal of the Mason Arts Research Center is to investigate the role and effects of arts engagement, across all art forms, on social and emotional development in educational, out of school, and other contexts. This center is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of its Research Labs program. For more on the NEA Research Labs program, click here.

Principal Investigators

Dr. Thalia Goldstein

Dr. Goldstein is Assistant Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at George Mason University. Learn more

Dr. Adam Winsler

Dr. Winsler is a Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology and Associate Chair for graduate studies in the Psychology Department at George Mason University. Learn more

Dr. Kimberly Sheridan

Dr. Sheridan is an associate professor with a joint appointment in Educational Psychology and Art Education at George Mason University. Learn more

Recent Blog Posts

  • An Interview with Bettina Bläsing

    My background is in neurobiology. I do not come from the arts, but I’ve always been dancing, so I’ve always had a deep interest in the arts. As a biologist, I worked on animal and insect movement. Then, I moved towards cognition and the cognitive science of movement, Then, I thought that based on my… [Continue reading]

  • An Interview with Emily Cross

    from MasonARC’s Interview Blog Series: The Impact of Covid-19 on Arts Programming, Practice, and Research Megan Stutesman: Tell me a little bit about your background […] [Continue reading]

Thank you to all who attended MasonARC19!

The MasonARC 2019 conference was held on October 18th, 2019 to great success! More than 70 attendees including 12 panelists from the worlds of academic research, arts policy, artists and arts organizations, and grant makers met on the George Mason campus for a day of talks, panels, and collaborative activities. Please click here to view a summary of our post-conference survey, and please click here for our blog series from the conference. Please click here for the program and photos from the day.

Students walking under cherry blossoms and Fairfax Campus banners

Sponsors and Arts Partners