My research subject and consequent presentation will be to simply prove the viability of having an art center or art education organization within the community. I have compiled some serious concrete and important sources that will make my research paper a 'slam-dunk'. After much pondering and research (plus a Dr.'s enlightening "ah-ha" moment), I have narrowed down to a general research project topic. I will thus be presenting multiple sources for this aimed topic. 

Research Presentation Bibliography 

My first source for my art study is title The Art of Community Transformation by Seana S. Lowe. This article is from the Education and Urban Society publication. The article has much strength and helps to use many notable sources, which I plan to investigate and research further into, to draw the connection of art and community. She focuses mainly on disconnection and the benefit of introducing community art as an effective way to bind together a community. She also tells that a professional artist must be the director of this project and help to be the “catalyst for the artistic process.” This source will help to tie in my thesis that art can indeed bind a community, which in effect will increase the altruism and collective efficacy as a whole in that community. 

Source:
Lowe, Seana. “The Art of Community Transformation.”. Education and Urban Society (2001) vol. 33 no. 4: 457-471. Sage Journals. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

The second source from which I’ll be using is a scholarly journal in which it is made evident that by artist’s ‘sweat equity’ economic development and retail growth can come as fruition. The journal studies New York’s South Houston neighborhood claim to upscale success in the late 1970’s when ten years prior the neighborhood was struggling and impoverished. The journal goes in depth about the gentrification of neighborhoods and how a neighborhood can benefit as a whole from this type of art scene presence. It will pull in the ties that artists living within an art neighborhood can draw other types of business and create a central hub of altruistic behavior through collective efficacy.

Source:

Shkuda, Aaron. “The Art Market, Arts Funding, and Sweat Equity: The Origins of Gentrified Retail.” Journal of Urban History (2012) vol. 39 no. 4: 601-619. Sage Journals. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. 

The third source is a entitled Turning to Art to Bring in Business in which a New Jersey city is aiming to develop and complete an arts district which will house 100 art spaces. This creation is part of a larger arts implementation of a $120 million dollar art project. It is planned to house housing, public and retail space and the art spaces. This source shows a real-worl, practical implementation of combining arts and business together for viability and long-term growth. 

Lee, Evelyn. "Turning to Art to Bring in Business." NJBIZ 19.44 (2006): 3,3,10. ProQuest. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

Another source is a dynamite source in which I have only read Part 3 of the three-part series, in which a well renowned art's organization CEO and President presents how The Arts Are Definitely Good For Business. Presented are some interested figures on how CEO's value art skills, how creatives perform better with artistic influences and the value arts play in quality of life.

 Lynch, Robert. "The Arts Are Definitely Good For Business." Public Management (00333611) 95.3 (2013): 16-18. Business Source Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.