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Contributed

SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research, has released its annual ranking of the 40 most arts-vibrant communities in the United States. Organized into three lists by community size, the 2024 once again includes the Cincinnati region among the top 20 large communities. This ranking is determined through a data-driven analysis of arts supply, demand, and government support across more than 900 communities nationwide. Cincinnati has earned a spot on the list every year since its debut in 2020.

“In the Cincinnati region, our community recognizes that the arts are not just a nice-to-have, they are a necessary part of the economy to the tune of $1.6 billion in economic impact over the last 4 years,” says Alecia Kintner, President and CEO of ArtsWave, the region’s main source for arts funding and the community’s local arts agency (LAA). “This report is yet another proof point that our arts in Cincinnati are a significant driver of the vibrancy that is coming to define our region.”

Among the study’s metrics, Cincinnati ranks in the top 1% for earned program revenue, such as ticket sales, and in the top 2% for total compensation for arts workers. “This highlights the strength of our arts industry and our ability to attract high-quality creative talent that enhances our region’s growing reputation as a national creative hub,” says Kintner. “This growth is the result of decades of strategic, philanthropic investment in the arts by individuals and businesses, and the index provides a tangible way to showcase the return on that investment.”

The Cincinnati region is the only Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana community to be named to the list of large communities. Other Midwest cities joining Cincy are Chicago, Milwaukee and Nashville.

The Index reflects fluctuations in arts activity, participation, funding, access and employment that occurs in each community; however the Arts Vibrancy Index has consistently shown that highly arts-vibrant communities are dispersed broadly throughout the U.S., with every region of the country represented in the top rankings. This finding arises naturally out of objective analysis of the data, not from any selection of communities to achieve geographic representation. From Ohio to Colorado, New York to Alaska, arts vibrant communities recognize regional artistic diversity and community success.

“In the face of rising costs, shifting funding sources and long-standing inequities in access, funding and employment, arts communities have continued to demonstrate their resilience and the undeniable richness they bring to towns and cities across the country,” stated Dr. Jennifer Benoit-Bryan, Director of SMU DataArts. “The Arts Vibrancy Index helps the arts community – leaders, businesses, governments, funders – better understand the dynamics of arts activities that occur in local areas. Over the years, it’s been rewarding to see the diverse ways the reports have been used: from funders who use data to analyze how their investments can increase arts vibrancy in the communities they serve to arts leaders who use the reports and interactive maps in their decision-making for relocating their operations or determining markets for touring shows. The Index has been indispensable in shining light on the arts in communities all across the country.”

Feature Image: WhitneyWhitneyMedia, provided by Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber