Spotlight on:
Arts Participation

South Arts recently updated our Publications page, which shares recent
research in areas such as arts education, the creative economy, international
cultural engagement, and presenting & touring. This month, our spotlight
shines on the most recent arts participation research. 2011 was a banner
year for studies released on arts participation. Three major research
organizations – The Wallace Foundation, Wolf/Brown, and National
Endowment for the Arts – released multiple studies on the subject just last
year. Wallace released a series of four case studies on building arts
audiences selected from among the Wallace Excellence Award winners.
In  two separate reports, Wolf/Brown looks at the ecosystem of arts
engagement  and active arts participation. Finally, National Endowment for
the Arts commissioned three studies on different aspects of arts
participation – arts  education, age, and modes of participation. If you’re
looking for unique methods to engage your audiences, new ways to think
about audience participation, or  a more complete understanding of
audience trends, South Arts recommends reading the reports below.

	Attracting an Elusive Audience: How the San Francisco Girls Chorus Is Breaking Down Stereotypes and Generating Interest Among Classical Music Patrons (PDF) by Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton, and Anne Field Published by The Wallace Foundation (2011)
	Building Deeper Relationships: How Steppenwolf Theatre Company Is Turning Single-Ticket Buyers Into Repeat Visitors (PDF) by Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton, and Anne Field Published by The Wallace Foundation (2011)
	Cultivating the Next Generation of Art Lovers: How Boston Lyric Opera Sought to Create Greater Opportunities for Families to Attend Opera (PDF) by Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton, and Anne Field Published by The Wallace Foundation (2011)
	More Than Just a Party: How the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Boosted Participation by Young Adults (PDF) by Bob Harlow, Thomas Alfieri, Aaron Dalton, and Anne Field Published by The Wallace Foundation (2011)
	Making Sense of Audience Engagement: Volume I (PDF) A critical assessment of efforts by nonprofit arts organizations to engage audiences and visitors in deeper and more impactful arts experiences By Alan S. Brown and Rebecca Ratzkin Funded by The San Francisco Foundation, Grants for the Arts, and The Wallace Foundation Published by Wolf/Brown and The San Francisco Foundation (2011)
	Getting In On the Act: How Arts Groups Are Creating Opportunities for Active Participation(PDF) by Alan S. Brown and Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard, in partnership with Shelly Gilbride, Ph.D. Funded by The James Irvine Foundation Published by Wolf/Brown (2011)
	Beyond Attendance: A Multi-Modal Understanding of Arts Participation (PDF) by Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard and Alan S. Brown, WolfBrown Published by National Endowment for the Arts (2011)
	Age and Arts Participation: A Case Against Demographic Destiny (PDF) by Mark J. Stern, University of Pennsylvania Published by National Endowment for the Arts (2011)
	Arts Education in America: What the Declines Mean for Arts Participation (PDF) by Nick Rabkin and E.C. Hedberg, NORC at the University of Chicago Published by National Endowment for the Arts (2011)

Arts Education

Arts Participation

Creative Economies

Folklife & Traditional Arts

International Cultural Engagement

Presenting & Touring

The South