EUGENE–Arts administrators from around the world will soon have a powerful new tool–an interactive on-line clearinghouse of information–thanks to a project led by a University of Oregon professor.

Linda F. Ettinger, UO associate professor of arts and administration, has received a $10,000 planning grant from the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium (NWACC) to create the Arts Management Research Clearinghouse.

The purpose of the clearinghouse is to stimulate innovative instructional uses of the World Wide Web in higher education as well as to spur collaborative projects. To do this, the site will offer an online database of student research. The site also will feature links to educational materials about research and links to on-line publications, organizations and descriptive resources.

Sharing information is at the heart of the project. Ettinger and her colleagues will develop a research communications center that will allow nonprofit organizations, arts management professionals, students and faculty to share information with a number of national arts organizations–information she says is not readily available elsewhere.

"It’s extremely difficult for student researchers and professionals to keep up with the latest developments in the field," says Ettinger. "Professional journals are often so specialized they don’t address the broad-based issues we deal with on a day-to-day basis."

"The problems can seem overwhelming and are a strong contributing factor to the high rate of burnout among practicing arts managers," she adds. "The primary goal of the clearinghouse is to provide a forum to address these challenges."

The site will allow arts administrators, many of whom work in isolation in galleries and museums across the country, to connect with one another and with the latest research in the field. It also will give arts administration students a tool to tap into new research and share their own work with their peers.

NWACC, a not-for-profit corporation, was formed in 1987 to improve access to advanced technological resources. Its mission is to support the introduction of next generation, leading-edge technologies into the region's colleges, universities, libraries and research organizations. NWACC awarded grants to 21 faculty members this year.

—30—

#G-6004/Local,OrDailies,PDX/jnd