From the Field

High-Performing Arts Organizations

A new publication by SMU DataArts, The Alchemy of High-Performing Arts Organizations, examines 20 visual and performing arts organizations to understand strategies that contribute to financial sustainability and growth. These 20 organizations were selected based on their high financial performance or successful financial turnaround, allowing SMU DataArts to map the path from insolvency to stability. Acknowledging that there is no “silver bullet” for financial success, the research outlines the decisions—from creating work that is meaningful to the local community to focusing on short-term tactical wins—that fostered these organizations’ success.

U.K. Arts and Place Shaping

Arts and Place Shaping: Evidence Review, commissioned by Arts Council England and conducted by Wavehill, offers a compelling examination of how arts and culture play a role in place shaping, i.e., creative placemaking. This review provides evidence that arts and culture promote a higher quality of life and engagement through their roles in community and economic development. Although focused on place shaping in the United Kingdom, the mini case studies and collated studies provide data and examples for placemaking in the United States.

Arts Comeback Planning

The Results Group for the Arts (TRG Arts) has published a study detailing the postpandemic comeback plans of performing arts organizations. Comeback Planning: September 2020 surveyed 219 performing arts organizations across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It provides the organizations’ estimates of when they can resume in-person performances, broken down by discipline and region.

Arts Education Partnership at 25

The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) celebrates 25 years of ensuring K-12 students have equitable access to excellent arts education. AEP was formed by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and Council of Chief State School Officers. For its 25th anniversary, AEP takes a look back at the history of the partnership and the success it’s achieved in bringing the arts to K-12 students nationwide. It lays out a vision for what it hopes to achieve in the next 25 years.

State Arts Program Studies

Two recent studies in Massachusetts and Utah evaluate state arts agency programs. Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), together with the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, conducted a multisite study of MCC’s CultureRx pilot program, which provides families access to cultural activities through their medical providers. Through surveys, focus groups and interviews, the study analyzed the structure and partnerships formed between health centers and cultural organizations. For its museum social impact pilot study, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums collected nearly 400 individual surveys from eight museums and found museum visitation is correlated with statistically significant increases in health and well-being, intercultural competence, strengthened relationships, and continued education and engagement. Using the results of this survey, researchers will create an adaptable social impact survey tool that will be available to all museums in the state.