
The findings paint a picture of a cultural arts landscape plagued by: dwindling audiences and subscriptions; increased costs and shrinking budgets; declines in private funding and sponsorships; and an uncertain future in the wake of the end of government funding, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and Shuttered Venue Operating grants for local arts organizations.
The study, commissioned in January[ ]by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and titled “Navigating Recovery: Arts and Culture Financial and Operating Trends in Chicago,” looked at trends from 2019 through 2022 at a wide range of organizations with annual budgets of less than $150,000 to those with more than $1 million.
A summary of key findings and an executive summary (PDF) are available from DCASE on chicago.gov.
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and SMU DataArts will be doing an online webinar “presentation of research and key findings from” the report on Thursday next week, October 12, 2023, from 3 to 4 PM Central Time.