State of the Arts: Behind the NEA Survey
All the people clamoring to get into Broadway shows like "Wicked" and "The Book of Mormon" \u2013 or museum shows like the Rain Room at MoMa \u2013 are apparently the exception, rather than the rule. That's the conclusion of a new survey of public participation released last week by the National Endowment for the Arts. It shows an overall decline in arts consumption by Americans, with a particular drop-off in museum and theater attendance. There were smaller dips in classical music and ballet audiences too. But it wasn't all gloom and doom: Audiences are growing more racially and ethnically diverse. \xa0And there are hints that technology is playing a larger role in how we consume culture.