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Commissioned from the Urban Institute, this report describes the methodology and findings of a study to validate the NEA’s proposed Arts & Livability Indicators. These metrics use national, publicly accessible data to track outcomes of interest to communities engaged in creative placemaking activities. The report includes a draft “user’s guide” to the indicators and their appropriate use.
This report explores industrial design, both as an occupation and as an industry tied to U.S. manufacturing and other sectors. Drawing on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, the report highlights the number of working industrial designers and their earnings, the industries employing the greatest numbers of designers, and their geographic concentration in western and mid-western states. The report also uses data published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to show the wide variety of products incorporating industrial design, as well as the leading companies awarded design patents. Notably, the report presents an analysis of patent data that reveals industrial designers as prolific inventors. August 2013
Report of the design workshop team, July 24-25, 1995. “This report was prepared by the Design Program of the National Endowment for the Arts … [and it] was produced under a cooperative agreement between the National Building Museum, Washington D.C., and the Design Program of the National Endowment for the Arts”–Colophon.
Investigates how artists get work selected for exhibition and examines the relationship between exhibition and economic success of artists in America’s smaller art-market cities.
The Visual Arts Program of the National Endowment of the Arts undertook a survey to determine the economic conditions of artists and the processes by which they exhibit works in four cities located outside the major art centers of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The selected market areas included Houston, Minneapolis, Washington, and San Francisco. Research indicated that these cities have significant markets for locally produced art, which is mainly sold by galleries and museums. However, artists are dissatisfied with exhibition opportunities, especially with lengthy waiting periods. Among various methods used to locate exhibition opportunities, personal contacts are most used, and service organizations are least utilized. The data indicated major differences between the artists and exhibitors on the perception of fairness in the exhibition selection process. Obtaining studio space is a major problem for artists in all four cities, and both artists and exhibitors advocate public acquisition of buildings which could be rented for studio space. Few artists earn a living solely from art sales. Most hold other jobs or are supported by another person. Median art income for the artists sampled was $718 in 1978. Median production costs were $1,450, approximately twice the median income. Tables and figures are included.
