The NCSS contributes research on suburban cultural producers and representations of suburban life – on Long Island, in the U.S., and internationally. In the postwar U.S., cultural representations have shaped popular conceptions of the suburbs. These conceptions, in turn, have shaped our understandings of gender, race, class, and nation, the contents of our malleable "suburban dreams," and even the policies that govern urban and suburban development. "Myths of wealth and wellness," for example, may have contributed to the suburbs receiving an unequal share of federal and state resources to confront new suburban problems. These “myths” also may have reinforced racial and class stereotypes that have contributed to the overall marginalization of communities of color. Suburbs are also a critical and neglected site of cultural production itself, and the NCSS documents the work of arts organizations in suburbia.
STEAM Center – A feasibility study completed by The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University® to explore the creation of a STEAM Center as part of the revitalization of Suffolk County’s poorest community, Wyandanch. NCSS partnered with Hofstra’s nationally acclaimed fine arts museum, including its then-director Beth Levinthal, on this multidisciplinary nine-month study of the economic, educational, artistic and cultural potential of such a STEAM Center in the new Wyandanch Village that included dozens of interviews with experts, potential funders, community members and other stakeholders. The study, funded by New York State and the County, found that a multi-purpose STEAM Center – with space for exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and additional activities – could generate jobs and other economic activity through tourism, high-tech skills training, and artistic entrepreneurship, as well as creating educational portals for learners of all ages.
Cultures of the Suburbs International Research Network – Hofstra University was the U.S. affiliate for this international collaborative, led by Jo Gill at the University of Exeter, and hosted the network's 2013 conference. Funded by the London-based Leverhulme Foundation, the network conducted a total of three conferences, including in England and Ireland, and comprised a membership of universities throughout the world, and facilitated useful inter-institutional communication and collaborations.
Suburban Arts Study – To guide Long Island policymakers, funders, and tourism officials seeking to realize the cultural and economic potential of a robust arts “scene,” the study was commissioned to examine how arts organizations in similar suburban regions around the country succeeded – or failed – in counteracting the funding and attendance “pull” of neighboring large cities. Leading arts supporter Roger Tilles, who personally funded the project, used the findings to create the impactful Long Island Arts Alliance.