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Exploring Relationships Between Arts Administrators In Appalachian Kentucky And Tennessee And Their State Arts Agencies: A Qualitative Narrative Inquiry, Elise L. Kieffer Phd

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

This dissertation explores the relationship of arts administrators in isolated Appalachian communities in Kentucky and Tennessee with their respective representative state arts agencies. Using the narrative inquiry methodology, I participated in interviews with both groups of arts administrators and interpreted those findings through a conceptual framework from the field of healthcare (Feldman-Stewart & Brundage, 2008). This framework recognizes the breakdown of communication that sometimes occurs when one party (the doctor, or in this case, the state arts agency) holds the expertise and position of power, and the other party (the patient, or in my case, the small arts organization) lacks …