Breaking the mold: Arizona State University selects a scholar of creativity and policy to helm its design and arts school

TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Five years ago, when many universities were reducing or eliminating studies in design and arts, Arizona State University crowned creative practice a core value by establishing the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, built on a combination of disciplines unlike any other program in the nation.

Now the university has broken the mold again, by selecting a social scientist and policy scholar to lead the Herberger Institute.

Dr. Steven J. Tepper comes to ASU from Vanderbilt University, where he helped lead the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy and was associate professor in the department of sociology.

"Professor Tepper is a renowned expert on U.S. cultural policy, and his work has fostered national discussions around topics of cultural engagement and the transformative possibilities of a truly creative campus," said ASU President Michael M. Crow. "He is visionary and entrepreneurial and is perfectly suited to help the Herberger Institute become the model of the 21st-century arts school."

Tepper's research and teaching focus on creativity, cultural participation and conflict over art and culture. He is the author of "Not Here, Not Now, Not That! Protest Over Art and Culture in America" and co-editor and contributing author of the book "Engaging Art: The Next Great Transformation of America's Cultural Life." His writing appears regularly in national publications; his article "Thinking 'Bigger Than Me' in the Liberal Arts" was published Sept. 15 in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The first to point out that he is not himself an artist, Tepper is also one of the first to champion the power of art. He believes that "the artistic imagination and the artistic process" can prompt people, and policy makers, to think about issues in new and productive ways.

Tepper is enthusiastic about the possibilities at ASU, which he calls "an innovation habitat."

"The willingness of the institution to try things means that we can craft the most compelling creative campus model we can imagine, where creativity is a core value across the campus, and where the arts can be a driver for animating and catalyzing creativity in every discipline."

Tepper believes that society needs "to think radically differently about the role of a design and arts school within a larger institution and the role of a design and arts school in the region and beyond, and the kinds of careers we're preparing our graduates for."

"There are so many mythologies around how an artist thinks and what an artist is and where art belongs in society. I want to shatter those completely."

To read the full interview with Dean Steven J. Tepper in ASU News, go to https://asunews.asu.edu/20141001-tepper-profile

CONTACT:  Sarah Hough, Email - [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141001/149886

SOURCE The ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts