Study: Art scene vibrant, but lacks funds, diversity
Greater Hartford has a vibrant arts community, with a dense population of creative talents and participation by culture seekers higher than the national average, according to a study released this week.
But the local arts landscape lags in many respects, including financial stability and minority inclusion in both the workforce and the audiences, found the study, which was sponsored by Connecticut Office of the Arts and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, was conducted by DataArts and Boston-based TDC.
Results were presented Monday by Julie Koo of TDC in the offices of in the foundation’s offices . The study examined donors and nonprofit organizations in history, humanities, museums, performing arts and community organizations.
Forty-two percent of Greater Hartford-area residents attended cultural activities in July 2017, the survey found, compared to 35 percent of the U.S. population. The Hartford-area percentages were higher than the U.S. regarding participation in museums, history, music and theater, but slightly lower in the category of dance.
A bleak note showed that 34 percent of Hartford-area cultural organizations are financially precarious, getting by month to month. Organizations are depending heavily on contributed revenue at a time when arts giving is lagging behind other types of charitable giving and granting institutions change their priorities away from arts, the study finds.
“There is a lot of competition. There is a concern that resources are spread too thinly,” Koo said. “There aren’t a lot of sources. From those sources, dollars have decreased over time. City funding was eliminated.”
In the minority inclusion segment of the study, it is noted that the population of Hartford County is 63 percent white, while the arts workforce is 87 percent white.
“This is not representing the people of color in the community,” Koo said. “People are trying their darnedest to get a more diverse workforce, but somehow it’s not there.”
Arts participation by people of color also lagged behind. In July 2017, 44 percent of the area’s white population participated in arts activities, while 33 percent of the nonwhite population participated.
The the Hartford area needs “more diverse narratives” for people of color, Koo said, referring to annual commemorations or historical event-themed presentations.
“People of color don’t necessarily want to hear their stories told once a year, or hear the same stories over and over again,” she said.
Bonnie Koba, arts in education program manager at COA, said the racial-disparity stats confirmed what that office hypothesized and strengthened the office’s determination to find solutions.
“It really tells us what we must do,” Koba said. “We need to find more ways to pursue it.”
Jacqueline Coleman, senior education investments officer of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, echoed Koba’s concern, especially regarding Latinx communities. The study indicated that the community lacks organizations that serve Latinx artists and audiences.
“Maybe we’re not as forward as we should be. Maybe we need more opportunities to reach them,” Coleman said.
People with disabilities — 14 percent of the population — also are underrepresented in the workforce, at 8 percent. Immigrants, who make up 19 percent of the population, make up 5 percent of the workforce.
On the other hand, women and LGBT people are over-represented in the arts workforce. Women make up 53 percent of the county population and 70 percent of the workforce. LGBT people are 4 percent of the state population and 11 percent of the Hartford-area workforce.