Arts Research

The arts are vital to our communities, promoting economic growth, education, health, social justice, and cross-cultural understanding. Through the resources below, learn more about the essential role the arts play as well as trends and best practices that demonstrate how our creative culture is growing and changing.

Featured Resource

Arts Education

The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth

At-risk students who have access to the arts in or out of school also tend to have better academic results, better workforce opportunities, and more civic engagement, according to a new NEA repor.

NEA

Arts Data

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies

NASAA’s centralized information portal provides facts and figures about the creative economy, and data-driven advocacy tools, including focused resources on arts education, cultural equity, and veterans and military programming.

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Columbus Survey Dashboard

A new online dashboard from the Foundation Center includes comprehensive data reflecting the current financial state of community foundations in the US

Grantmakers in the Arts

Arts and Economy

Arts and Economic Prosperity 5

Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 is Americans for the Arts’ fifth study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry's impact on the economy. It documents the economic contributions of the arts in 341 diverse communities and regions across the country, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Americans for the Arts
Integrating Arts, Culture Into Community Development a 'Win-Win'

Creative placemaking — the integration of arts, culture, and community-engaged design — can invigorate post-industrial neighborhoods and be a catalyst for equitable, community-driven development, two reports from the Kresge Foundation and Point Forward find.

Philanthropy News Digest

Arts and Health

NEA: Arts in Healthcare Research

The NEA has collected examples of pilot and small and large population studies that indicate the efficacy of the arts in the healthcare environment.

NEA

Arts and the Military

Arts Deployed: an Action Guide for Community Arts & Military Programming

AFTA’s guide helps local arts organizations and communities understand their roles in serving our military and Veteran communities, their caregivers, and families.

Americans for the Arts

Arts and Social Change

Corporate Social Responsibility: Partnering with Business to Enact Social Change Toolkit

This toolkit details corporate drivers to provide insight into the kind of arts and cultural programs and the communities that benefit from their work. Additionally, it provides clear methods to enhance and promote successful community engagement, and effective implementation of diversity and inclusion policies.

The Partnership Movement

Audience Engagement

Building Millennial Audiences: Barriers and Opportunities

This Wallace Foundation presentation synthesizes market research, secondary literature, and action plans to better understand, engage with, and mobilize Millennial Audiences.

Wallace Foundation
Taking Note: The Remarkable Growth in Consumer Spending on Musical Theater and Opera Performances

The NEA details the recent increase in American personal consumption expenditures (PCE) on admissions to performing arts events. PCE between 2000 and 2014 have more than doubled. The two mediums benefitting the most from this increased spending are Musical Theater and Opera Performances.

NEA
The Move to Mobile: Ticketing Programming & Marketing in the Arts

Musical America explores trends and opportunities in digital marketing for the arts.

Musical America
Creating compelling, share-friendly content for your arts organization

AFTA provides an infographic and a list of questions and suggestions to help artists and organizations better engage with audiences and communities via social media.

Americans for the Arts

Cultural Equity

Creating Change through Arts, Culture, and Equitable Development

This report explores the intersection of creative development and urban development and includes links to reports that provide insight into effective equity practices and policies for the arts to support community engagement and cohesion.

Policy Link
Not Just Money: Where is the Money Going?

The Helicon Collaborative focuses on equities in arts funding, and the ability of organizations to implement effective equity policies.

Helicon Collaborative