For close to a decade Cory led social science research for cultural and mission-driven organizations, most recently as co-director of Slover Linett, an arts and culture research firm acquired by NORC at the University of Chicago. His multi-method research and evaluation studies spanned museums including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Field Museum, the Smithsonian, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art; performing arts organizations including Carnegie Hall, Cleveland Play House, and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance; and public space and public history projects including the High Line, the Obama Presidential Center, and StoryCorps.
That work operated at two levels at once. At the level of the field: who participates in culture and why, what audiences actually want, and where the sector as a whole is heading. And at the level of the individual institution: how decisions get made, where workflows break down, and where outside help is genuinely useful.
Cory came up as a maker. He holds an MFA in writing from the California Institute of the Arts and a degree from Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, where he worked across film, video game production, and interactive media. After ETC, he helped design YOUmedia, a digital learning space for teens at the Chicago Public Library, a model since replicated in libraries and other civic institutions nationwide.
He now builds AI tools for the social sector and helps teams learn to use AI well: demystifying the technology, identifying practical use cases, and developing responsible AI policies. His current projects include Throughlines, a conversational tool for building Theories of Change, and Catastrofixing, a contingency-planning tool for nonprofits. He also writes AI for English Majors, a newsletter exploring what this technology means in human terms.
Get in touch
For consulting inquiries, speaking, or just to say hello: hello@corygarfin.com · LinkedIn · Substack.