From the Field

Strengthening the Social Fabric of Communities

PolicyLink, in partnership with ArtPlace America’s Community Development Investments program (CDI), recently published Strengthening and Connecting to the Social Fabric of Communities. This new research focuses on how creative placemaking can be uniquely situated to encourage social cohesion and strengthen residents’ ability to advocate for their desired outcomes. Using three case studies from ArtPlace America’s CDI communities, the report examines how community development strategies that employ arts and culture provide for more meaningful engagement, create more equitable planning processes and promote resiliency.

COVID-19’s Impacts on Arts and Culture

A collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Argonne National Laboratory, Analysis: COVID-19’s Impacts on Arts and Culture provides an overview of how the creative industries have fared during the pandemic, with a particular focus on the performing arts. For example, data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show that spending on performing arts tickets from July through September 2020 was about a quarter of the amount spent on tickets over the same period in 2019. The analysis also explores some of the adaptations and resources that are helping arts organizations and artists to survive financially during the pandemic.

Current Reopening Practices among Arts Organizations

The Art of Reopening: A Guide to Current Practices among Arts Organizations during COVID-19 is a new resource from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Arts Endowment’s research staff conducted a survey of 18 arts service organizations and interviewed arts professionals about organizations that have already resumed in-person programming. The resulting guide features case studies from nine arts organizations that have reopened to share their best practices and experiences. Findings suggest organizations adapt strategies such as aligning arts programming with local community needs, bringing a public health professional to advise on reopening plan, creating pods or “bubbles” of artist teams, communicating transparently when unexpected changes occur and partnering with media organizations to help document experiences for a virtual environment.

Will Movie Theatres Survive?

A new article from Harvard Business Review, Will Movie Theaters Survive When Audiences Can Stream New Releases? addresses concerns about the future of the movie theatre industry as many new releases are going directly to streaming services. Researchers studied the impact of theatre sales in South Korea when movies had a shorter period in theatres before coming available to stream. Findings revealed that the shorter exclusive theatre window did not have a significant impact on theatre sales. While American consumers may behave differently than South Koreans, the research suggests that in-person theatre experiences will not disappear altogether.