The Art of Life: understanding how participation in arts and culture can affect our values

January 2013
Pamphlet produced by Common Cause Foundation and Mission Models Money

How can art help us transition the values of our society away from greed, prejudice and bigotry and towards values that underpin sustainable ways of living? This pamphlet includes a series of essays that explore this question in detail, beginning with a core article by Tim Kasser, Professor of Psychology.

Read
this if...

  • You work in the art and culture sector, or are a believer in the transformative power of art and creativity
  • You’re a campaigner or communicator working for an NGO or charity considering new and exciting partnerships with arts and culture organisations

Key Takeaways

We know that art can trigger reflection, generate empathy, create dialogue and foster new ideas and so it offers a powerful and democratic way of expressing, sharing and shaping values in our society.

Toolkit resources

Why fundraise?

Is there a way to fundraise without being in direct competition with other charities?

Do you feel like a fraud?

Are your communications engaging people as citizens or consumers?

Free gifts and supporter journeys

Exploring some of the challenges posed by the pressures of short-term fundraising

Reasons to volunteer

Reflecting on intrinsic motivations to volunteer

Value surveys and maps

More information on the two values surveys that Common Cause draws on in its work

Material tested in our experiments

Further information on the texts used in the study with WWF and Scope

Summary of published research

A summary of results from research into priming values

Other resources
you might like

The Common Cause Handbook

Perceptions Matter: Report & Summary

Discover and share: ways to promote positive values in arts and cultural settings

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