{"id":2926,"date":"2020-08-21T13:51:35","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T17:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/?post_type=profile&p=2926"},"modified":"2026-03-13T16:48:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:48:55","slug":"douglas-denatale","status":"publish","type":"profile","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/profile\/douglas-denatale\/","title":{"rendered":"Douglas DeNatale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. DeNatale earned his PhD in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985. Prior to joining the Metropolitan College faculty, he was the president of Community Logic, Inc., an arts consulting firm specializing in research and documentation. He previously served as director of research for the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), where he played an instrumental role in forecasting the emerging creative economy and in developing the web-based research database\u00a0CultureCount<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Formerly, Dr. DeNatale was director of the Lowell Folklife Project at the Library of Congress and director of the oral history and folklife program and collections at the University of South Carolina\u2019s McKissick Museum. Trained as an ethnographer, Doug has overseen collaborative arts research projects for the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Library of Congress. He conducted oral histories for the Lowell National Historic Park, the Southern Oral History Program, and the J. Alden Weir National Historic Site, and curated exhibitions for the McKissick Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.<\/p>\n

As an early adopter of technology, DeNatale has helped many New England cultural institutions establish their first websites. He has also been involved with technology projects for Heritage Preservation, the New England Museum Association, and the Boston Foundation. His research on the creative economy is widely cited, with publications that include Documenting the Arts<\/em> (NEFA) and\u00a0Passion & Purpose: Raising the Fiscal Fitness Bar for Massachusetts Nonprofits<\/em>\u00a0(Boston Foundation, co-author).<\/p>\n

Courses<\/h2>
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  • MET AR 800 \u2013 Directed Study<\/li>\n

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    Scholarly Works<\/h2>
    <\/p>\n

    Peer Reviewed Book Chapters<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cNegotiated Spaces: Conflicts of Interest in Federal and Local Notions of Place.\u201d In\u00a0<\/span>Conserving Culture: A New Discourse on Heritage<\/em>, edited by Hufford, M. (Urban, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1994).<\/p>\n

    \u201cOral History.\u201d In\u00a0<\/span>Encyclopedia of American Social History<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>edited by Cayton, M. K., Gorn, E. J., and Williams, P. W. (New York, NY: Charles Scribner\u2019s Sons, 1993).<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Dissembling Line: Pranks in a North Carolina Mill. In\u00a0<\/span>Arts in Earnest<\/em>, edited by Patterson, D. W., and Zug, C. (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1989).<\/p>\n

    Biographies of Dorsey Dixon, Howard Dixon, and Nancy Dixon. In\u00a0<\/span>Dictionary of North Carolina Biography<\/em>, edited by Powell, William (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1986).<\/p>\n

    Peer Reviewed Journal Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Markusen, A., Wassall, G., DeNatale, D., and Cohen, R. \u201cDefining the Creative Economy: Industry and Occupational Approaches.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Economic Development Quarterly\u00a0<\/span><\/em>22, no. 1 (2008): 24\u201345.<\/p>\n

    Barringer, R., Colgan, C., DeNatale, D., Hutchins, J., Smith, D., and Wassall, G. \u201cThe Creative Economy in Maine: Measurement and Analysis.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>The Southern Maine Review<\/em>, paper 4 (2004).<\/p>\n

    Non-Peer Reviewed Monographs<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Keating, E., Pradhan, E., Wassall, G., and DeNatale, D.\u00a0<\/span>Passion and Purpose: Raising the Fiscal Fitness Bar for Massachusetts Nonprofits<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Boston, MA: The Boston Foundation, 2008).<\/p>\n

    DeNatale, D., and Wassall, G.\u00a0<\/span>The Creative Economy: A New Definition<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Boston, MA: New England Foundation for the Arts, 2007).<\/p>\n

    DeNatale, D., and Wassall, G.\u00a0<\/span>Creative Economy Research in New England: A Reexamination<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Boston, MA: New England Foundation for the Arts, 2006).<\/p>\n

    Documenting the Arts: A Practical Handbook for Cultural Organizations<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Boston, MA: New England Foundation for the Arts, 2005).<\/p>\n

    Wassall, G., and DeNatale, D.\u00a0<\/span>New England\u2019s Creative Economy: The Non-Profit Sector, 2002<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Boston, MA: New England Foundation for the Arts, 2004).<\/p>\n

    Wassall, G., and DeNatale, D.\u00a0<\/span>New England\u2019s Creative Economy: The Non-Profit Sector, 2001<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Boston, MA: New England Foundation for the Arts, 2003).<\/p>\n

    DeNatale, D., and Ito, K.\u00a0<\/span>Internationalizing New Work in the Performing Arts: A Ford Foundation Initiative, Phase II<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(New York, NY: Arts International, 2002).<\/p>\n

    DeNatale, D., and Ito, K.\u00a0<\/span>Internationalizing New Work in the Performing Arts: A Ford Foundation Initiative, Phase I<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(New York, NY: Arts International, 1999).<\/p>\n

    Wassall, G., and DeNatale, D.\u00a0<\/span>Arts, Cultural, and Humanities Organizations in the New England Economy, 1996<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Boston, MA: New England Foundation for the Arts, 1997).<\/p>\n

    DeNatale, D., Pryszbyz, J., and Severn, J. R.\u00a0<\/span>New Ways for Old Jugs: The Jugtown Pottery and its Impact on Tradition<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Columbia, SC: McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, 1994).<\/p>\n

    Wiggins Jr., W. H., and DeNatale, D.\u00a0<\/span>Jubilation! African American Celebrations in the Southeast<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Columbia, SC: McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, 1993).<\/p>\n

    Two Stones for Every Dirt: The Story of Delaware County, New York<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(Fleischmanns, NY: Purple Mountain Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

    Between the Branches: Folk Art of Delaware County<\/em>, New York (Delhi, NY: Delaware County Historical Association, 1985).<\/p>\n

    Non-Peer Reviewed Book Chapters and Catalog Essays<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cIn Search of the Busbees.\u201d In\u00a0<\/span>The Busbee Legacy<\/em>, edited by Lambert, L. (Seagrove, NC: North Carolina Pottery Center, 2016).<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Royal Family of San Pedro.\u201d In\u00a0<\/span>Old Ties, New Attachments: Italian-American Folklife in the West<\/em>, edited by Taylor, D. A., and Williams, J. A. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1992).<\/p>\n

    Non-Peer Reviewed Reports and White Papers<\/strong><\/p>\n

    DeNatale, D., and Nagel, E. \u201cFull-Stage USA Cross-Site Summary.\u201d New Dramatists and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (New York, NY: 2014).<\/p>\n

    Miller, S., DeNatale, D., and Gordon, A. \u201cDance Development Centers Pilot Program: Documentation Team Final Report.\u201d Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (New York, NY: 2011).<\/p>\n

    DeNatale, D., and Wassall, G. \u201cNew England\u2019s Creative Economy: The State of the Public Cultural Sector.\u201d Connecticut Commission on the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts, Maine Arts Commission, New Hampshire State Arts Commission, Rhode Island Arts Commission, and Vermont Arts Council (Boston, MA: 2005).<\/p>\n

    Um, Khatarya, and DeNatale, D. \u201cCambodian Artists Project: Strengthening Partnerships and Building Collaboration.\u201d The Rockefeller Foundation (New York, NY: 2002).<\/p>\n

    \u201cData Collection and Information Systems in the Arts and Humanities: Preliminary Survey and Recommendations.\u201d American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Cambridge, MA: 1999).<\/p>\n

    Rosenthal, A., and DeNatale, D. \u201cDeveloping an Effective System for the Commissioning and Touring of International Work.\u201d The Rockefeller Foundation (New York, NY: 1999).<\/p>\n

    \u201cDevelopment of a Lowell Cultural Center.\u201d Lowell Historic Preservation Commission (Lowell, MA: 1988).<\/p>\n

    Conferences Organized<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Conference Coordinator and Institutional Host, National Endowment for the Arts New England Regional 504\/ADA Conference, Boston, MA (2000).<\/p>\n

    Moderator, Second Cultural Conservation Conference. South Carolina Humanities Council\/Palmetto Conservation Foundation, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, Charleston, SC (1992).<\/p>\n

    Moderator, First Cultural Conservation Conference. South Carolina Humanities Council\/Palmetto Conservation Foundation, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, Charleston, SC (1991).<\/p>\n

    Peer Reviewed Papers Presented<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cCareer Impacts of the Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study.\u201d Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts Annual Conference, Seoul, South Korea, December 2022.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Changing Nonprofit Landscape in the U.S.\u201d 8th Annual Conference of the Chinese Arts Management Professional Committee, Nanjing, China, October 2019. <\/p>\n

    \u201cUsing Geographic Information Systems in Arts Administration Instruction.\u201d Association of Arts Administration Educators, Houston, Tex., June 2018.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCultural Data Systems in the United States: A Brief History and Appraisal.\u201d Association of Arts Administration Educators, Edinburgh, Scotland, June 2, 2017.<\/p>\n

    \u201cDemystifying the Creative Economy.\u201d Americans for the Arts Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA, June 21, 2008.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCreative Economy Tools: The New England Cultural Database.\u201d Technology in the Arts Conference, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, October 13, 2005.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Creative Economy: What Presenters and Artists Need to Know About Economic Development.\u201d Association of Performing Arts Presenters Annual Conference, New York, NY, January 8, 2005.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThinking About Making: Research Pre-Conference.\u201d Grantmakers in the Arts Conference, Pasadena, CA, October 17, 2005.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPositioning New England in the Global Economy.\u201d New England Board of Higher Education Conference, Groton, CT October 28, 2005.<\/p>\n

    \u201cUnderstanding Maine\u2019s Creative Economy.\u201d Blaine House Conference on Maine\u2019s Creative Economy, Lewiston, ME, June 7, 2004.<\/p>\n

    \u201cBuilding a Regional Research Database for New England.\u201d Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts Annual Conference, Columbus, OH, October 9, 2003.<\/p>\n

    \u201cDebates Over Cultural Policy in the U.S.\u201d American Folklore Society Annual Meeting, Columbus, OH, October 26, 2000.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCultural Asset Evaluation\u201d (with Jackson, M. R.). \u00a0Arts Transforming the Urban Environment Conference, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, October 9, 1998.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPublic Policy and New England Cultural Institutions.\u201d New England Board of Higher Education Conference, Portland, ME, April 12, 1998.<\/p>\n

    \u201cKeynote Address.\u201d Indiana University Conference on Applied Folklore, Bloomington, IN, January 15, 1998.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Social History of the Southern Mill Village.\u201d First Mill Village Conference, North Carolina Humanities Council, Cooleemee, NC, May 14, 1996.<\/p>\n

    \u201cBent but Not Broken: The Folklore of Hurricane Hugo.\u201d American Association for Applied Anthropology, Charleston, SC, February 15, 1991.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Southeastern Crafts Revival.\u201d American Craft Museum, New York, NY, May 15, 1991.<\/p>\n

    \u201cNegotiated Spaces: Conflicts of Interest in Federal and Local Notions of Place.\u201d Cultural Conservation Conference, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, May 18, 1991.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhen is a Story Not a Story: Millworker Narratives.\u201d American Folklore Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, October 16, 1985.<\/p>\n

    \u201cConstructing Oral Texts.\u201d Fifth International Conference on Cultural and Communications, Philadelphia, PA, March 3, 1983.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFolk Culture and Workers\u2019 Responses to Mill Village Relations.\u201d Eight Biennial Conference, American Studies Association, Memphis, TN, October 14, 1981.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCommunity, Family, and Work in a North Carolina Textile Mill Village.\u201d Second Textile History Conference, Merrimack Valley Textile Museum, North Andover, MA, November 2, 1980.<\/p>\n

    Presentations of Original Research (excluding papers)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cPresentation of Research Findings.\u201d Full Stage USA Convening, New Dramatists, New York, NY, July 8, 2014.<\/p>\n

    \u201cMassachusetts Nonprofit Database.\u201d National Neighborhood Indicators Project Meeting, Urban Institute, May 13, 2010.<\/p>\n

    \u201cDeveloping a Massachusetts Longitudinal Nonprofit Database.\u201d Ethos Roundtable, Boston, MA, March 16, 2010.<\/p>\n

    \u201cDocumenting the Culture of Local Communities.\u201d Public Matters Institute, The Lowell Plan, Lowell, MA, April 22, 2009.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPassion & Purpose Report Seminar.\u201d The Boston Foundation, Boston, MA, June 11, 2008.<\/p>\n

    \u201cNew England Cultural Database.\u201d Rhode Island Arts Learning Network, Providence, RI, November 18, 2005.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCultural Data.\u201d Poster Session, Data Day Conference, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, June 26, 2005.<\/p>\n

    \u201cU.S. Research on Individual Artists.\u201d Leveraging Investments in Creativity Conference, Menlo Park, CA, September 26, 2004.<\/p>\n

    \u201cNew England Cultural Database.\u201d New England Presenters Meeting, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, May 11, 2004.<\/p>\n

    \u201cTransition and Sustainability Among International Arts Organizations.\u201d ICA Working Group Conference, Arts International, Miami, FL, November 14, 2000.<\/p>\n

    \u201cDeveloping Audiences for International Work.\u201d ICA Working Group Conference, Arts International, San Antonio, TX, November 21, 1999.<\/p>\n

    Panelist<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cArts Research Panel.\u201d Faculty Development Seminar, European Network of Cultural Administration and Training Centers, Boston, MA, June 6, 2016.<\/p>\n

    \u201cBest Practices for Web Communications.\u201d New England Museums Association, Annual Conference, Warwick, RI, November 14, 2008.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Creative Economy in New England.\u201d Juice Conference, Lewiston, ME, November 17, 2007.<\/p>\n

    \u201cUsing Research in the Arts.\u201d Grantmakers in the Arts Conference, North Adams, MA, November 11, 2006.<\/p>\n

    \u201cResearch, Policy and Practice: Building Capacity in Creative Communities Symposium.\u201d Arts Research Initiative, Boston University, Boston, MA, May 16, 2006.<\/p>\n

    \u201cCreative Economic Research in New England.\u201d Boston Redevelopment Authority Researcher Convening, Boston, MA, April 14, 2006.<\/p>\n

    \u201cResearch on the Creative Economy of New England.\u201d Creative Economy Meeting, Heinz Foundation, Pittsburgh, PA, November 11, 2004.<\/p>\n

    \u201cInitiative for Humanities and Culture Planning Committee.\u201d American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities, Los Angeles, CA, November 15, 1998.<\/p>\n

    \u201cRoundtable on Addressing Research Needs for Cultural Policy.\u201d Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, October 10, 1997.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Craft Revival in the Southern Mountains.\u201d North Carolina Humanities Council, Penland School, Penland, NC, October 17, 1992.<\/p>\n

    Visiting Lectures<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cOral History Methods.\u201d Graduate School of Library Science, Simmons College, Boston, MA, February, 2, 2010.<\/p>\n

    \u201cApproaches to Mapping Cultural Assets.\u201d Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA, January 21, 1999.<\/p>\n

    \u201cOnline Resources for Community Networking.\u201d University of Lowell, Lowell, MA, April 16, 1998.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFolkloristic Approaches to Ethnography.\u201d Department of Anthropology Field School, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, May 20, 1993.<\/p>\n

    \u201cLearning from Experience.\u201d Center for History-Making in America, Indiana University School of Education, Bloomington, IN, June 15, 1992.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIssues in Designing Computer Archiving Systems.\u201d Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, March 14, 1991.<\/p>\n

    \u201cOral History Methods Workshop.\u201d Middleton Place, Charleston, SC, May 21, 1990.<\/p>\n

    Awards and Honors<\/strong><\/p>\n

    1992, South Carolina Governor\u2019s Award in the Humanities<\/p>\n

    1992, Award of Merit, American Association of State and Local History<\/p>\n

    1991, Exemplary Program Award, National University Continuing Education Association.<\/p>\n

    1975, Phi Beta Kappa<\/p>\n

    Selected Grants and Fellowships<\/strong><\/p>\n

    2007, Research Grant, Longitudinal Study of Massachusetts Nonprofits, The Boston Foundation ($25,000).<\/p>\n

    1999, Research Grant, International Touring Study, Rockefeller Foundation ($50,000).<\/p>\n

    1996, Research Grant, Internationalizing New Works in the Performing Arts, Ford Foundation ($1.1 Million)<\/p>\n

    1996, Research Grant, History of Jugtown Pottery, National Endowment for the Arts ($40,000)<\/p>\n

    1989, Research Grant, Hurricane Hugo Narratives, National Endowment for the Arts ($25,000)<\/p>\n

    1990, Research Grant, Sweetgrass Basketmakers Recovery after Hurricane Hugo, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium ($10,000).<\/p>\n

    1983, Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation<\/p>\n

    1980, Dean\u2019s Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

    1979, Smith Research Grant, University of North Carolina<\/p>\n

    1978, Pogue Fellowship, University of North Carolina<\/p>\n

    1978, Winchester Graduate Fellowship, Wesleyan University<\/p>\n

    1975, Olin Fellowship, Wesleyan University
    \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

    What advice do you have for new students?<\/h4>\n

    The BU Arts & Cultural Management program is uniquely positioned to assist early career arts administrators in achieving their next stage of development. No other program provides such close mentorship by working professionals in the field, provides access to international perspectives and opportunities, and equips students with the technical, analytic, entrepreneurial, and networking skills needed to navigate the dramatically changing cultural landscape.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"author":13440,"template":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/2926"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/profile"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13440"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/2926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98522,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/2926\/revisions\/98522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/met\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}