Performing Policy explains how a movement in cultural policy that began in the 1990s redefined US artists' roles in society and enhanced their prospects for the twenty-first century. In the first years of the century, a series of landmark reports appeared, significantly expanding the nation's understanding of the relevance of arts to everyday life. Broadly, these reports covered issues of changing tastes and consumption habits, the relevance of culture to economic and social stability in communities, and the challenges facing artists and arts organizations in the new economy. Their publication coincided with a number of national initiatives that proposed and modelled new methods of artistic practice and sustainability. Analyzing the political origins and practical applications of recent advancements in arts policy, this book demonstrates how the redefining of artists took place and to what ends. At the same time, Performing Policy proposes a new definition through which artists might be productively acknowledged as co-creators of the nation's arts infrastructure.