Dallas, TX / January 23, 2024 – A new study, Following the Funding: Distribution of Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds for the Arts and Culture Sector, from SMU DataArts illuminates the breadth and distribution of federal COVID-19 relief funding that helped to keep the arts and culture sector afloat in the wake of the pandemic.
Dallas (SMU), Thursday, October 26, 2023 – SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research, today released its 8th Arts Vibrancy Index, which identifies the 40 most arts-vibrant communities in the United States through an analysis of the level of supply, demand, and government support for the arts in more than 900 communities across the country. Organized into three separate lists based on community population size, this year’s Arts Vibrancy Index is the first to include rankings since 2020, a reflection of arts organizations returning to in-person activities and performances following the easing of pandemic restrictions. The new rankings reveal that San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA has reclaimed the top spot on the list of the most arts-vibrant large communities for the first time since 2018.
Dallas, TX / May 4, 2023 – New research findings from SMU DataArts indicate that Local Arts Agencies (LAA) positively and irrefutably contribute to their communities’ level of Arts Vibrancy. With funding for LAAs frequently challenged, this report shines a light on the importance of these agencies and organizations within their communities.
Dallas, TX / March 29, 2023 — SMU DataArts announced today that Research Director Glenn Voss, Ph.D., is retiring, effective May 31, 2023. Jen Benoit-Bryan, Ph.D., will assume the role of Research Director on June 1, 2023. Benoit-Bryan will also hold a position as Research Professor in the Division of Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.
This grant will support an examination of workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in a study with grantees of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
2022 Arts Vibrancy Index Includes Cities Listed for the First Time: Salt Lake City, UT; Ann Arbor, MI; Kalamazoo-Portage, MI; and Brevard, NC.
SMU DataArts today released a report examining the impact of Ford’s Arts and Culture work within its Creativity and Free Expression program (CFE A&C), a $230 million investment in People of Color and disability-centered arts and storytelling organizations. The evaluation was led by SMU DataArts, a research center utilizing cutting-edge research techniques to increase understanding of the arts and cultural sector, in collaboration with Ford.
SMU DataArts, the national center for arts research in the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU, has been awarded a Hewlett Organizational Effectiveness grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. This funding will support the organization’s roadmap to increasing equity, diversity and inclusion, which has been a focus for the past three years and is part of its strategic plan moving forward.