Williams College (Center for Creative Community Development)

The Center for Creative Community Development at Williams College will do in-depth data analysis of sixteen selected communities to assess local economic and social impact of museums. With a target audience of museum boards and administrators, policy makers at the national, state and local levels, and private foundations and donors, this research project will study how local neighborhoods are economically and socially transformed by museum operations; what impact museums have on employment and income; and how these local impacts are distributed among different groups and locations. Results of the research will be disseminated through a series of workshops and conference presentations, publications, and an on-line Web site. The results will be made widely available as a baseline comparison for other communities to replicate or adapt to improve the development of customized public programming.