Can Community Engagement Foster Cultural Sustainability? A Study of Historic New England and the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm

Abstract

This Capstone is an in-depth analysis of community engagement at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, a site in Newbury, Massachusetts, administered by Historic New England. This study closely examines the practices at one museum in the context of the current research on community engagement in museums and arts organizations, as well as the role such engagement can play in fostering cultural sustainability. Further, this work sheds light on how the best practices cited in current museum, cultural sustainability, and arts organizations research is being put into practice. Specifically, it serves to show how one institution and other similar institutions can play a vital role in working with local communities to sustain cultural practices and shepherd these traditions into the future.