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Thesis
The rise and reframing of IDEA in arts education: a case study of community engagement at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts : exploring IDEA's positive impact and dismantling
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Mar 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011300
Abstract
This thesis examines the implementation, adaptation, and constraints of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) within arts education at a large nonprofit performing arts institution in Tampa, Florida. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research centers on the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, selected for its regional influence, expansive education and community engagement infrastructure, and reliance on mixed revenue streams that include philanthropy and public funding. The study investigates how IDEA was conceptualized by institutional stakeholders, how equity- and access-oriented practices were operationalized through education and community engagement, and how political discourse and funding conditions shaped the sustainability and articulation of this work. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with four current and former Straz Center administrators and staff members representing executive leadership, community engagement, artistic programming, and administrative support. Document analysis of publicly available institutional materials, including mission-aligned communications, program descriptions, and relevant policy contexts, supported methodological triangulation. Interview and document data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns related to institutional strategy, operational practice, and organizational constraint. Findings revealed five interrelated themes: (1) IDEA functioned as an institutional ethos rather than a discrete or time-bound program; (2) community engagement served as the primary vehicle through which equity and access were enacted; (3) internal culture-building and IDEA-related learning required sustained labor that was unevenly distributed across departments; (4) leadership commitment enabled equity-oriented practices while simultaneously mediating political constraints and public accountability; and (5) funding operated as both an enabler and a constraint, shaping how IDEA work was resourced, framed, and sustained. Collectively, these findings suggest that within policy-adjacent arts institutions, IDEA is best understood as an ongoing operational negotiation among institutional values, governance structures, resource dependency, and external sociopolitical pressures. This study contributes to arts administration scholarship by offering an institution-specific analysis of IDEA implementation under contested political conditions and by identifying implications for organizational sustainability, accountability, and equitable access in arts education and community engagement.
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Details
- Title
- The rise and reframing of IDEA in arts education
- Creators
- Kandace Nunn Johnson
- Contributors
- Pamela Yau (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- viii, 65 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Arts Administration; Arts and Entertainment Enterprise; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 991022170453004721