Americans for the Arts to Announce First-Ever National Arts Index
The National Arts Index will be announced Wednesday, January 20, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.Wednesday, January 20, 2010 02:21 PM
The National Arts Index, created by Americans for the Arts, is an annual measure of the health and vitality of the arts in the U.S., using 76 equal-weighted, national indicators of arts and cultural activity from 1998-2008. Roland J. Kushner, assistant professor of business at Muhlenberg College, is one of the co-authors of the National Arts Index.
The National Arts Index fell four percentage points to 98.4 in 2008. The highest index score was 105.5 in 1999. The Index measures activity in more than 100,000 non-profit arts organizations, more than 600,000 arts-related businesses and more than 2.24 million artists in the work force, who generate billions of dollars in consumer spending. Some of the key findings of the study were:
- Demand for the arts lags capacity; in the 11 years of the survey, non-profit organizations alone grew from 73,000 to 104,000, yet one in three failed to achieve a balanced budget even during strong economic times.
- How the public participates in and consumes the arts is changing; arts participation is on the increase, yet attendance at mainstream non-profit arts organizations is on the decline. Technology continues to have an impact as 50 percent of music and CD stores have disappeared in the past five years.
- The competitiveness of the arts is slipping. While the nature of arts participation is changing, not all arts organizations are equally adept at meeting changes in demand. The data shows that the arts are not “stacking up” well against other uses of audience members’ time, donor commitments or other spending compared to non-arts sectors.
Americans for the Arts is the leading non-profit organization for advancing the arts in America. During its 50th anniversary year,Americans for the Arts is using the National Arts Index as an opportunity to tackle key issues within the U.S. non-profit arts infrastructure in conversations with local, state and national leaders.
Notes for Editors:
- To RSVP for the National Press Club event call Liz Bartolomeo 202-371-280 or email [email protected]
- To speak with Professor Kushner, contact him at 484-664-3797 or [email protected]
- For copies of the full index, please contact Professor Kushner or Liz Bartolomeo at the above phone numbers or email addresses.
- The full release should be on the website following the press conference:
