Arts thru tech

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) published a report on Americans' participation in certain "benchmark" arts activities through electronic and digital media--radio, TV, CDs, DVDs, the Internet, and portable media devices. The benchmark activities surveyed: Jazz, Classical music, Opera, Musical plays, Non-musical plays, Ballet and other dance, Visual arts such as paintings, sculptures, or photography, and Programs about artists, art works, or art museums. The report is based on the 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA).

Its conclusions:

• Arts participation through media appears to encourage — rather than replace — live arts attendance.
• Education shows the strongest relationship with arts participation through electronic media.
• A sizeable group of Americans — particularly racial/ethnic minorities and older adults — participate in benchmark art forms solely through electronic media.
• The rate of arts participation through electronic media for different racial/ethnic groups depends on the art form.
• Given the relatively high rate of young adults who engage in literature through media, the overall rate of literary participation via media may increase markedly in the future.

Audience 2.0: How Technology Influences Arts Participation, June 2010
      Report (pdf, 146pp/2.72MB)
      Multi-media version