Future of the Arts in Wichita
To assist with its long-range planning, the City of Wichita's Division of Arts & Cultural Services monitors both local and national trends by utilizing the 2010 National Arts Index and 2007 Arts & Economic Prosperity III report, both issued by the American for the Arts.
Following the publication of the National Arts Index a wealth of information has been circulating nationally about the health and vitality of the arts industries as a whole. Through public forums and participating in a new Local Arts Index, the City of Wichita has started a public discussion that will bring this national art focus down to the local level. It is allowing the community to see where Wichita fits in with national trends and to take proactive steps to sustain and grow our arts sector in new and unique ways. The full National Arts Index report can be found at http://www.americansforthearts.org/information_services/arts_index/001.asp.
Key Challenges
Even with the number of arts organizations increasing rapidly over a recent 10-year span, the National Arts Index report revealed that the percentage of people attending arts events declined nationally. Other key points in the report include:
1. The arts follow the business cycle. The arts respond to the booms and busts of the nation’s economy. Based on past patterns, the Americans for the Arts estimate that an arts rebound will begin in 2011.
2. Demand for the arts lags supply. Between 1998 and 2008, there was a steady increase in the number of artists, arts organizations, and arts-related employment. Nonprofit arts organizations alone grew in number from 73,000 to 104,000 during this span of time. That one out of three failed to achieve a balanced budget even during the strongest economic years of this decade suggests that sustaining this capacity is a growing challenge, and these gains are at risk.
3. How the public participates in and consumes the arts is expanding. Tens of millions of people attend concerts, plays, opera, and museum exhibitions, yet the percentage of the U.S. population attending these arts events is shrinking, and the decline is noticeable. On the increase, however, is the percentage of the American public personally creating art (e.g., music making, and drawing). Technology is changing how Americans experience the arts and consumption via technology and social media is also up.
4. The competitiveness of the arts is slipping. The arts, in many ways, are not stacking up well against other uses of audience members’ time, donor and funder commitment, or spending when compared to non-arts sectors.
Growing and Sustaining Wichita's Arts Community
How do we use the arts to make a case for the arts?
What is trend in current philanthropic giving?
How do we develop and use new technology to support the arts in this current economy?
Is there a way to engage young philanthropists to support the arts in ways that are meaningful to them?
How can we build connections between organizations and between our organization and the public?
The City is working with the arts community to find the answers to these questions and share ideas of changing audience/customer needs and expectations.
This conversation is the perfect complement to the work that is being done on the Downtown Master Plan by continuing the strong partnerships with local agencies such as Go Wichita and the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation who work cooperatively with the City to strengthen and promote local arts and cultural opportunities.
Why the Arts Are Important
The arts are an integral part of downtown Wichita and its future. They attract tourism dollars, generate government revenue, spur economic development and create jobs. Wichita’s arts industries generate more than $49.14 million in local economic activity, support 1,512 full-time equivalent jobs and are responsible for more than $30.33 million in household income (2007 Americans for the Arts’ “Arts & Economic Prosperity III” report).
What's Next
The Division of Arts & Cultural Services is in the process of creating strategies to assist the private sector as well as the artist community address some of the challenges ahead. National data has shown that by working together and using collective problem solving, challenges can be met and solutions found. Our greatest strength is working together as an arts community.
Let's us know what you think about the current state of the arts in Wichita and what should be done to keep them strong for the foreseeable future. Send comments to John D'Angelo at jdangelo@wichita.gov or call (316) 303-8600.