Clare Croft, a dance historian, theorist and curator who has spearheaded national efforts to strengthen arts infrastructure, has been appointed to a new leadership position designed to expand and integrate the arts in faculty research across the University of Michigan.

Her three-year appointment as the university’s inaugural director of arts research / creative practice took effect Aug. 28.

The Arts Initiative, in partnership with the Office of the Vice President for Research, created the position as part of a broader effort to emphasize the value of the arts within the context of a leading public research university.

“As a scholar, teacher, audience member and dancer, I know firsthand that the arts are a field of study and inquiry that fosters critical, deliberative and imaginative thinking, and does so with an emphasis on collaboration, even care,” said Croft, associate professor of American culture and of women’s and gender studies in LSA, and associate professor of music in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

“The arts must be a crucial piece of life at a research university, as they bring what scientists might call new discoveries; what social scientists might call new perspectives; and what humanists might call new insights. I am excited to develop new funding programs and support systems to assist my fellow faculty members in deepening and elevating their work.”

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