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.  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.  More…

Dr. Kimberly Sheridan


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

Recent
Blog
Posts

Where are the Arts on the Food Chain of Education?  Who do we Invite to Dinner?
Thalia Goldstein January 6, 2020
Reflections by Joanne Seelig Lamparter, Director of Education and Theatre for Change, Imagination Stage Though the MasonARC convening was several weeks ago, the conversations still loom in my mind.  It is no coincidence that in Maryland, we are nearing the time that the Kirwan Commission Bill will be voted on by Maryland State…
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Do the arts make kids smart, or do already smart kids choose the arts? (1/3)
Tevis Tucker December 12, 2019
Part 1 – Understanding “Selection Effects” from MasonARC’s 3 Part Series: The Fundamental Questions of Arts Education and Causal Outcomes. This post is by: Alenamie Alegrado and Dr. Adam Winsler   Many people believe that the visual and performing arts (music, drama, dance, visual art) make kids smarter and cause them to perform…
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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 if you attended and have not yet completed the post-conference survey.  Please click here for our blog series about the conference, to be updated over the coming months, and please click here for the program and photos from the day.

Sponsors and Arts Partners

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