SMU DataArts

09/22/2026

👏👏👏

San Antonio has been selected as a participating city for The City Arts Data Exchange! 🎉 Entering its third cohort, this initiative led by SMU DataArts and Bloomberg Associates aims to bring local arts agencies together for shared, data-informed learning.

The other participating cities are Nashville, Cincinnati, Newark, Columbus, Raleigh, Austin, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, and Indianapolis. We are ready to discover new insights that will help organizations celebrate and preserve San Antonio's distinct cultural heritage ❤️

09/19/2026

What do we do here at SMU DataArts, and why is it important for the nonprofit arts and culture sector?

A new article helps explain how the research center has become a leading national source of data on the health of the arts. 🔗

SMU DataArts has spent more than a decade compiling the data behind nonprofit arts trends, helping leaders navigate shifting audiences and funding.

09/17/2026

Analysis of three years of data from Washington arts and cultural organizations funded through the Community Accelerator Grant program examines funding access, financial health, organizational capacity, and community impact—including a close look at the small organizations that rarely appear in sector-wide data.

For funders and arts leaders, it offers data-driven insight into what's actually working in grant design and what isn't. ⬇

09/16/2026

New survey results reveal that poor management is the top reason art museum workers left the field, and nearly half (47%) did not have another job lined up before leaving.

Now in its second edition, the latest report from our friends at Museums Moving Forward takes a critical look at the perceptions of nearly 700 former art museum employees—where there are signs of improvement, and where challenges persist.

Shout out to SMU DataArts research team members Madeline Smith and Nicole Kim for their contributions to this analysis. 👏

Read the full report 🔗 https://museumsmovingforward.com/publications/exit-interview-from-the-field-an-mmf-report-on-former-art-museum-workers

08/25/2026

“That’s a huge hole for an organization to recover from, even one as significant and sizable as The Kennedy Center.”

Jennifer Benoit-Bryan, director of SMU DataArts, weighs in on the latest news regarding the financial impacts of one critical decision.

Budget and meeting documents obtained by The Post show ticket revenue and fundraising plummeted even as leaders publicly touted a financial turnaround.

08/20/2026

We're thrilled to welcome Madeline Smith to the SMU DataArts team as our newest Associate Director for Research! 🎉

Madeline will be working closely with Research Director, Wenhua Di and the rest of our research team, bringing her expertise in mixed-methods research design, data strategy, and translating complex findings into clear, actionable narratives.

We're so glad to have her on board. Please join us in welcoming Madeline in the comments below!

Learn more about who we are 🔗 https://culturaldata.org/about/

08/19/2026

In 2019, arts organizations in BIPOC-majority neighborhoods of a major U.S. city received 16% less median grant funding than those in white-majority neighborhoods. By 2022, they were receiving 289% more.

A recent evaluation of Ford Foundation's America’s Cultural Treasures (ACT) initiative tracks progress in addressing historic disinvestment across nine regions and surfaces lasting impacts on grantmaking practices of participating funders and intermediaries.

Read more 🔗

Why did it take a crisis to prompt intentional investment in arts and culture, and how can it be sustained as political and economic landscapes present new challenges?

08/13/2026

"Cultural activity affects a city’s economy and its livability, and it affects our bodies too: Recent research has shown that engaging with art may slow aging."

Read the full article below 🔗

Op-ed: A new analysis of 4,400 nonprofit arts organizations across 10 U.S. cities suggests local government funding is linked to stronger financial and attendance outcomes.

08/11/2026

Get the latest research on arts funding, audience trends, workforce insights, and more delivered straight to your inbox, free. 🔗 https://buff.ly/GYMznhw

08/07/2026

"While there are numerous reasons why some arts sectors perform better than others, 'consistent local government support is clearly one of them,'" SMU DataArts' board member, David Andersson told reporters at Hyperallergic.

This project, and the greater work of the City Arts Data Exchange, is meant to shed some light on the different ways that policy choices and funding structures intersect with real-world sector conditions.

Read the full story 🔗

A new report zooms in on data from 10 cities between 2019 and 2024, linking local public investments to stronger performances in the arts sector.