General

Arts and cultural organizations invest heavily in direct, mission-related activities and in the people who deliver them.

The American public is more broadly engaged in the arts than previously understood—believing that the arts not only play a vital role in personal well‐being and healthier communities, but that the arts are also core to a well‐rounded education.

The publication of Creativity Connects: Trends and Conditions Affecting U.S. Artists marks the culmination of a year and a half of planning, research, interviews, roundtables, analysis, and writing from NEA staff and our research partner, the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). The purpose of this report is to update the findings of the Urban Institute’s 2003 study Investing in Creativity, which identified support systems necessary for artists, including material supports, validation, markets, networks, training, and information. While the framework outlined in that report remains useful, it is clear that many aspects of the environment and market for artists’ work have changed profoundly in the past decade, including developments in technologies, public perceptions of creative workers, marketplace opportunities, demographics, and aesthetic practices. The Creativity Connects report uses a wide lens to consider who is an artist, how artists are working, what factors influence their work, and what we can do to better support them.