In 2020, the inability of many arts organizations to re‐engage with arts audiences or visitors in physical spaces has posed an unprecedented setback for the industry. Even for arts venues that manage to reopen safely during the pandemic, the number of patrons will be generally lower than in the past because of new restrictions on visitor/seating capacity (due to social distancing protocols), downturns in the tourism and hospitality industries, and many people’s reluctance to parƟcipate in social gatherings.
Survey data predating COVID‐19 may give hope to arts organizations and cultural policymakers who remain committed to delivering arts experiences to a broad cross‐section of individuals and communities. As ever, artists and arts organizations have rallied with creativity and innovation to meet these new challenges—notably through greater virtual engagement of arts audiences and visitors.
Now more than ever, it seems worth asking about the extent to which digital consumption of arts content can translate to in‐person attendance at live events. Can these virtual arts experiences provide a pathway for broader participation in the arts, once arts attendance resumes in most communities? For that matter, which arts activities or arts forms are closely linked, and how might these relationships affect future trends in arts engagement?
This research brief stems from analyses that the Arts Endowment requested from the consulting firm James Bell Associates in 2019, based on the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), a nationally representative survey of adults and their engagement with the arts fielded with the U.S. Census Bureau. The presentation of those findings has been adapted to suit the present‐day context, with an emphasis on the positive links between electronic/digital media participation in the arts and in‐person attendance, on the one hand and, on the other, the close association of certain art forms and activities.
*Source: Introduction
