Arts & Business Council

Recently, Americans for the Arts (AFTA), of which A&BC is a division, released the National Arts Index. The Index is an annual measure of the health and vitality of arts in the United States that uses 76 equally weighted, national-level indicators of arts activity. This first report covers an 11-year period, from 1998 to 2008 and subsequent reports will be published annually.

Randy Cohen, AFTA’s Vice President of Local Arts Advancement, will present the National Arts Index in Chicago on Wednesday, March 3 at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Claudia Cassidy Theater. Randy recently spoke with Artsbiz about the Index and his upcoming presentation.

“The Index gives us numbers that underscore what many of us are feeling or have observed about the arts community, and with this metric we are able to start a new conversation about the health and vitality of the arts,” explains Randy. “I’m excited about the presentation in Chicago because we’ll be able to talk about what it means for us as a nation and specifically for Chicago.”

The wealth of information in the Index reveals a number of trends. For example, the arts participation measure is on the increase.  Personal arts creation by the public is growing steadily (making art, playing music). However, attendance at mainstream nonprofit arts organizations events is in decline. “So with this information we have a new lens to look at how people engage with the arts, where it should be accessed and the role of technology,” further explains Randy. “With this in mind, we can ask ourselves, ‘how do we create demand for the arts?’”

In addition to a presentation by Randy, the March 3 event includes a panel discussion with Ra Joy, Executive Director of Arts Alliance Illinois; Bau Graves, Executive Director of the Old Town School of Folk Music; and Carol Coletta, president and CEO of CEOs for Cities. The panel will be moderated by Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Deputy Commissioner Janet Carl Smith. Randy and the panelists will also accept questions from the audience at the end.

The March 3 presentation of the National Arts Index is co-sponsored by A&BC, the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Arts Alliance Illinois. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. and the program is from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The event is free. Registration is required. For registration:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WKH6LZZ

AFTA is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. It is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.