Mike Boehm reports on America’s National Arts Index showing a fourth year of decline in 2011, but there is hope of an up-turn when figures for 2012 and 2013 are finalised.
The health of the arts in the United States worsened for a fourth straight year during 2011, according to the latest National Arts Index report, released this week by the advocacy group Americans for the Arts.
But its authors did see signs of an eventual turnaround. The rate of decline continued to slow in 2011, and they said this leveling-off is likely to presage an upturn when complete figures for 2012 and 2013 come in.
The aim of the National Arts Index is to distill the health of the arts into a single number. It's derived by weighing a number of statistics and estimates. Factors include employment, earnings, donations and government funding, tourism, attendance, box office receipts, sales of audio and video recordings and other arts-related products, online exposure to the arts and arts education.
The index score released this week was 97, down from 97.2 in 2010. It had peaked at 103 in 2007.
The health of the arts in the United States worsened for a fourth straight year during 2011, according to the latest National Arts Index report, released this week by the advocacy group Americans for the Arts.
But its authors did see signs of an eventual turnaround. The rate of decline continued to slow in 2011, and they said this leveling-off is likely to presage an upturn when complete figures for 2012 and 2013 come in.
The aim of the National Arts Index is to distill the health of the arts into a single number. It's derived by weighing a number of statistics and estimates. Factors include employment, earnings, donations and government funding, tourism, attendance, box office receipts, sales of audio and video recordings and other arts-related products, online exposure to the arts and arts education.
The index score released this week was 97, down from 97.2 in 2010. It had peaked at 103 in 2007.