As we head into the fall (and a new fiscal year for government), the NEA is welcoming public comments on a revised strategic plan. Please see below for a link to the draft document. Research and knowledge-sharing about the arts will remain core functions of the Agency, but the draft plan discusses how they will complement other strategic goals and objectives. We look forward to your comments. Also, stay tuned for a public-comment opportunity surrounding a new five-year research agenda for the NEA. The draft agenda will be posted to the NEA website this fall.
For now, please enjoy the NEA research items below!
Sunil Iyengar
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Demographic Data on Arts Business-Owners |
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In July, the NEA released Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Business‐Owners in the Arts, a new research brief. Using the most recent data from the Annual Business Survey (produced by the U.S. Census Bureau in cooperation with the National Science Foundation), this analysis reports the number of arts businesses owned by women or by people from minority racial/ethnic backgrounds. The brief discusses ownership rates for arts firms in the following sectors: arts, entertainment, and recreation; information services; professional, scientific, and technical services; educational services; manufacturing; and retail trade.
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New NEA Research Report: Tech As Art |
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Released in June 2021, Tech as Art: Supporting Artists Who Use Technology as a Creative Medium is the result of a two-year research initiative exploring the multifaceted creative practices of artists who engage with digital technologies. This report examines the creative infrastructure supporting tech-focused artistic practices and provides insight into the existing challenges and opportunities faced by artists and organizations working at the intersection of the arts and technology. Tech as Art originated with a cross-sectoral field scan conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Knight Foundation.
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NEW Edition of Arts Research Quarterly |
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The Arts Research Quarterly (ARQ) is a sampler of research articles on the arts ecosystem and is housed at the National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture (NADAC). ARQ’s second issue (released in July 2021) features “Build It and will They Come?: The Effect of Investing in Cultural Consumption Amenities in Higher Education on Student-Level Outcomes,” an article by Sian Mughan, Jessica Sherrod Hale, and Joanna Woronkowicz. Other articles cover topics such as COVID-19’s economic impact on creative industries, gender inequality in jazz music, and entrepreneurship in artistic practice.
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Call for Public Comments: NEA Draft Strategic Plan |
The National Endowment for the Arts is requesting comments on its draft strategic plan for fiscal years 2022 through 2026. Because public feedback is vital to this process, we ask that all interested parties go to the Arts Endowment website and provide comments as instructed. Comments will be accepted through Sept. 3, 2021. We encourage comments from individuals and organizations from all backgrounds and sectors, within and outside the arts, and from the general public. Please share this link with your networks so that more people and organizations across the nation may respond to the opportunity!
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New Talent in the NEA's Office of Research & Analysis |
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Patricia Mullaney-Loss joins the NEA research team as a term employee, serving also in the Agency's Office of Grants Management. Patricia provides analytical, research, and grants management support for the NEA's American Rescue Plan grant programs. Before joining the Arts Endowment, Patricia was the research manager at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, where she oversaw NASAA’s historical funding database, led NASAA’s online surveys, conducted data visualization work, and routinely coordinated information requests. Patricia dances professionally and is a teaching artist in New York and in the D.C. area. Welcome to the NEA, Patricia! |
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Visit our website to view reports and white papers on findings from Arts Endowment-supported research studies. |
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Measure for Measure: NEA Research Blog |
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Recent installments of Measure for Measure -- an ArtsJournal blog by t he NEA's research director, Sunil Iyengar, are below. These articles, including a research podcast (titled "Quick Study"), also appear monthly on the Arts Endowment website.
08/19/2021
08/05/2021
07/15/2021
07/01/2021
June 23, 2021
June 10, 2021
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Note: These links lead to websites other than arts.gov. |
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Sound Health Network update: On June 23, the Network and AARP collaborated in hosting a research webinar on “music for people living with dementia and their care partners.” Go here to view the archived webinar, which featured the work of music therapist Jeffrey Wolfe, Program Administrator of the Musical Bridges to Memory Program™ and Director of Community Programs at the Institute for Therapy through the Arts, and Jeanne Kelly, Artistic Director of Encore Creativity for Older Adults. On July 29, the Network held a webinar in discussion with National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NEA staff about research grant opportunities at both federal agencies. The webinar will be archived on the Sound Health Network website shortly. Meanwhile, go to the network’s website to learn of other events, past and forthcoming—for example, a NIH virtual meeting titled “Music and Health—Relating Target Engagement to Clinical Benefit: Biomarkers” (on Aug. 25), and a Sept. 8 webinar titled “Feeling the Beat: Syncing Up with Music.”
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Performing Arts Theaters & Dance Companies Among "Hardest Hit Sectors": Using data from the NEA's Office of Research & Analysis (ORA), CNN Business recently highlighted performing arts theaters and dance companies among other industries where jobs have yet to return, following the outbreak of COVID-19.
The Arts and Vaccine Readiness: NEA staff (including research director Sunil Iyengar) will participate in an Aug. 24 webinar titled “Engaging Arts and Culture for COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Uptake in Your Community: Leveraging Trusted Messengers and Trusted Spaces.” The webinar also will feature staff from other arts organizations and from the CDC and the CDC Foundation. Register here. In addition, check out this CDC webpage for field guides and other resources that can help to boost vaccine confidence and demand through the arts!
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Research & Analysis Director
Sunil Iyengar
iyengars@arts.gov
Research & Analysis Deputy Director
Patricia Moore Shaffer
shafferp@arts.gov
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Senior Program Analyst
Melissa Menzer
menzerm@arts.gov
Grants Analysis and Management Specialist
Patricia Mullaney-Loss
mullaneylossp@arts.gov
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Senior Operations Research Analyst
Bonnie Nichols
nicholsb@arts.gov
Operations Research Analyst
Erin McKenna
mckennae@arts.gov
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General Inquiries
research@arts.gov
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