Introducing South Arts Research

As part of the new strategic plan adopted by South Arts, the organization has launched a research program. The two main areas of inquiry in which we are interested are the creative economy and arts education, as well as the intersection between the two, which is workforce development.

Our first foray into creative economy research is Creative Industries in the South: A Research Report, which establishes baseline data for the region's creative industries. South Arts has worked for the past year to conduct the research and write the 250-page report which looks at the establishments, employment, wages, and revenues for the combined for-profit and non-profit creative industries in the nine-state region served by South Arts - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The study also takes a separate look at the nonprofit arts, culture, and humanities organizations as a segment of the creative industries.

Included in the 250-page report is a major section which focuses on the region as a whole, looking at numbers in aggregate and comparing data from states in the region. The report also includes a creative industries profile for each of the nine states served by South Arts. In addition to the full report, South Arts has created an executive summary, as well as a two-page summary for each state's creative industries profile. The purpose of the creative industries research is to provide baseline data on the scale, scope, and nature of a major segment of the creative economy. The research results will be shared with state arts agencies, arts advocates, policymakers, and economic developers to draw attention to the significant creative economy of the South.

As the creative industries report is released, distributed, and shared widely, South Arts is beginning the process of planning and conducting research on the availability of arts education in schools and classrooms in the region. This research will establish baseline data on arts education for our nine states and develop a report from which future arts education research and policy recommndations for the region will emerge.

As our organization builds the important work of research on the creative economy and arts education in the South, we will look to our member state arts agencies, arts organizations, artists, constituents, colleagues, and supporters to provide input and feedback on our work. If you have comments or questions related to the work of South Arts in this arena, you can reach Allen Bell, Program Director for Arts Education, Research & Information, at abell@southarts.org or 404-874-7244 x22.

Click here to access the South Arts creative economy research.