A curated list of research from external organizations that we find useful for understanding the arts and culture sector.
2026
Art & Tech
AI and the Future of Grantmaking: Lessons from Public Sector
SMU DataArts
An analysis of how AI tools are increasingly being considered for arts grant application review, drawing on a case study of government-funded grantmaking.
Audiences & Participation
The Great Connector: How Arts Participation Renews Civic and Community Engagement
National Endowment for the Arts
An analysis of data from three nationally representative surveys examining the relationship between arts participation and civic and community engagement.
Equity & Inclusion
Hardwiring Change: Buying Back Time
Artnet and the Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA)
A survey of 2,004 arts professionals, primarily women in the U.K., U.S., and Europe, examining career sustainability in the art industry. Roughly half of respondents aged 25-44 are considering leaving the arts within five years, citing pay, financial instability, and administrative overload. The report also tracks rapid but largely ungoverned adoption of A.I. tools across the sector.
Sector Health & Trends
Arts Vibrancy Index 2025
SMU DataArts
The tenth edition of SMU DataArts' annual ranking of arts vibrancy across U.S. communities and all 50 states, measuring arts supply, demand, and public support per capita adjusted for cost of living.
2025
Arts Education
Well-being and Well-becoming Through the Arts: A Picture of Mattering for Youth of Color
University of Pittsburgh and Forum for Youth Investment
An 18-month study of 35 community-based youth arts programs designed by and for communities of color across eight U.S. cities, identifying seven program design characteristics that support youth well-being, identity affirmation, and pathways to the future.
Creative Expression, Caring Relationships, and Career Pathways: A Guide to Youth Outcomes in Community Arts Programs
The Wallace Foundation
A study of 247 young adults — alumni of 32 arts organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, representing a range of different arts disciplines, geographic locations, and student populations — examining the lasting benefits of those experiences, from confidence and relationships to career skills and future opportunities, and identifying what program features make those outcomes possible.
Snapshots of Arts Education in Childhood and Adolescence
National Endowment for the Arts
Tracking arts access and participation from early childhood through high school, finding consistent positive links between arts engagement and social-emotional development, academic achievement, and graduation outcomes.
Audiences & Participation
A Decade of General Social Survey (GSS) Data on Arts Participation
National Endowment for the Arts
A 10-year historical analysis of U.S. adults' engagement with the arts, covering in-person attendance, art-making, reading, and virtual engagement.
Creative Workforce
Jumpstarting Artist Jobs: Case Studies of U.S. Employment Programs for Creative Workers
National Endowment for the Arts
A case study report profiling artist employment programs launched across the U.S. in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, examining how they were designed, funded, and sustained to provide paid creative work for artists while meeting local community needs.
Understanding Pennsylvania's Creative Workforce
Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
A statewide study of Pennsylvania's approximately 245,000 creative workers, drawing on US Census data, a survey of 610 workers, and interviews with industry leaders, to map the size, geography, earnings, demographics, and working conditions of the creative workforce. The report gives particular attention to financial precarity, self-employment, access to funding, and retention risks in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Equity & Inclusion
Artists Speak: The Anonymous Was A Woman Survey
Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW), SMU DataArts, and the Burns Halperin Report
A landmark survey of 1,263 women artists examining their experiences with gender bias, financial precarity, studio access, and institutional support.
The Power of Inclusion: Unlocking Workforce Well-Being in Arts and Culture
SMU DataArts, in partnership with the LA County Department of Arts and Culture
Examining how diversity, equity, and inclusion affect job satisfaction, retention, and employee engagement in arts and culture organizations, drawing on survey data from nearly 1,100 workers across 23 LA County arts organizations.
Sector Health & Trends
State of Live: Economic Research Study
National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)
The first comprehensive national economic study of independent live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and performing arts centers, documenting their contributions to jobs, wages, tourism, and gross domestic product (GDP) across all 50 states.
National Trends 2025
SMU DataArts (National Center for Arts Research)
Annual analysis of financial and operational data from nonprofit arts organizations nationwide, tracking revenue, expenses, attendance, and organizational health.
Best Practices in Developer-Artist Collaboration
Urban Land Institute
Identifying best practices for effective collaboration between real estate developers and artists, drawn from focus groups, interviews, and case studies, covering how to build a business case for artist engagement, structure roles and agreements, use intermediaries, and invest in training.
2024
Americans for the Arts (AFTA)
National Endowment for the Arts
SMU DataArts
Know of a report that should be on this list? Email us at comms@pittsburghartscouncil.org.