Read the latest research, news, and policy in our arts education RECAP for July 2026.
“New Federal Guidelines Threaten Almost Half of Graduate Arts Programs”
Published on June 2, 2026 by the New York Times
“The Education Department is finalizing guidelines for an earnings test that would punish nearly half of all graduate programs in visual arts, music and performance based on the low income of recent alumni, according to the government’s calculations.” New York Times
“Can theatre improve youth mental health? Miami professor aims to find out”
Published on June 11, 2026 by Miami University News
“Can theatre have a positive impact on mental health? This is the question that Miami University’s Matt Omasta, professor and chair of the Department of Theatre, has been tasked with answering after being approached by the Imagination Stage, a theatre company that specializes in the performing arts and professional theatre education for young audiences with an emphasis on positive youth development.” Miami University News
“House Proposes Slashing Major Arts Education Grant”
Published on June 16, 2026 by Hyperallergic
“Arts advocacy groups are sounding the alarm after a congressional subcommittee last week approved a budget proposal that would eliminate the Department of Education’s (DE) only arts grant program. The Republican-chaired House Appropriations Committee, a congressional subgroup that shapes the government’s annual budget, advanced a proposal that could defund the DE’s Assistance for Arts Education program last Tuesday, June 9.” Hyperallergic
“Pathways to the future of theater (and theater criticism, too)”
Published on June 20, 2026 by Oregon ArtsWatch
Artists Rep recently took on a cohort of five young theater professionals as part of its PATHWAYS program, a holistic mentorship program for emerging BIPOC theatre artists in the Portland metro area. Oregon ArtsWatch recently sat down with these theater makers to discuss the current state of theater, what theater could be, and how the right kinds of conversations about it can be crucial. Oregon ArtsWatch
“The Art Students League of New York celebrates 150 years”
Published on June 30, 2026 by Art & Object
The Art Students League of New York, founded in 1875, celebrates a milestone anniversary this year. “‘The Art Students League is a place where artists support each other,’ says Artistic/Executive Director Michael Hall. ‘We were founded by independent artists who pooled their resources to fund their own educations collectively, and we continue to operate under the guidelines of a constitution created by those artists way back in the 1870s.’” Art & Object
