A few snippets, courtesy of The Washington Post.
"... Attendance at art museums was down 13 percent from 2003 to 2008, the index found, while audiences at popular music events were down 6 percent. More people are taking classes in knitting and ceramics, as an arts participation survey by the National Endowment for the Arts reported last year.
Increasingly, people turn to the Internet for their arts consumption, whether they're seeking snippets of concerts or replays of stand-up comedy routines. The remote arts experience, [Randy] Cohen pointed out, is also made easier by the explosion of offerings on cable television and simulcasts of performances by such groups as the Metropolitan Opera."
"... In the index, the health of the arts was measured by finances, capacity, participation and competitiveness. "Arts participation is falling because the alternative uses of time are winning out," said Arthur C. Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute.
Index supporters said arts groups face many challenges, but most are likely to begin an economic rebound in 2011. Cohen said about one-third of arts groups are not making their budgets. Bill Ivey, the former NEA chairman, said it was troubling that the number of trained artists graduating from college had grown while the overall employment of artists was only slightly increasing."
Theatre is suffering alongside traditional medium art. Support as much as you can. Go to exhibits, support local galleries and troupes and bands.
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