Research Lab

Get a quick snapshot of some of the research and evaluation work we’re doing. Scroll down or choose from one of these categories.

This third study by SMU DataArts analyzing the demographic makeup of the arts and cultural workforce in LA County finds a significant shift toward greater racial and ethnic diversity since 2019, particularly at the leadership level.
The Civic Art Demographics Study, a collaboration between Arts and Culture’s Research and Evaluation and Civic Art divisions, is a comprehensive analysis of artworks and artists in the Collection. It is one part of a broader initiative to review Civic Art policies, procedures, commissions, and support for artists. Research consultant Special Service for Groups, Inc. (SSG) conducted the study on behalf of Arts and Culture and prepared the report.
This study explores the role that young adult advisory councils (YAACs) can play in helping arts and culture nonprofits address emerging issues, better understand the communities they serve, and achieve their missions. Through interviews with 25 YAAC managers and participants at arts nonprofits across the US, five key themes emerged:
Since 2015, the Department of Arts and Culture has collected consistent data about the demographic makeup of people who attend our professional development and technical assistance (PD/TA) programs. This report summarizes our analysis of six years of PD/TA programs offered by the department, from 2015-16 through 2020-21.
An evaluation of the first six residencies of the Creative Strategist program finds that a significant amount of art-as-process occurred across the residencies, with many of the creative strategists doing work engaging communities, especially those historically underserved by local government.
Make or Break: Race and Ethnicity in Entry-Level Compensation for Arts Administrators in Los Angeles County is a study of compensation for entry-level arts administrators in Los Angeles County and reveals troubling disparities between those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and their White counterparts.
This zine is designed to help artists, arts organizations, and arts funders use data as you plan for reopening. It includes findings from Audience Outlook Monitor surveys and interviews with arts audiences and visitors in LA County. It also offers suggestions for other data to consider as you plan to reopen.
The Department of Arts and Culture contracted with WolfBrown to provide our grantees with an opportunity to participate in the Audience Outlook Monitor (AOM), a national study to measure and track audience readiness and attitudes towards returning to live arts and cultural events. The AOM survey was deployed three times between August 2020 and January 2021.
Based on interviews with disabled and non-disabled artists and art professionals, this research study, Accessibility and the Arts: Reconsidering the Role of the Artist, investigates the role of artists and the museums that exhibit their work in making artwork accessible to people with disabilities.
What began as a health crisis has become an economic crisis and a moment of reckoning for racial justice. Since mid-March, systemic and structural inequities across LA County have become more visible than ever before.
A study using qualitative methods to understand arts audiences in LA County.
This is the second study conducted by SMU DataArts for Arts and Culture, analyzing the demographics of the arts and cultural workforce in LA County.
A report about the implementation of a new eligibility requirement for the Organizational Grant Program that requires all grantees to submit a statement, policy, or plan outlining their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and access as part of their applications.
Building Creative Career Pathways for Youth analyzes opportunities for youth in 70 creative occupations in the creative industries as well as programs designed to help youth access those jobs. This field scan found that Arts Education programs are nearly ubiquitous in the County, although not necessarily high quality nor equitably accessible to all residents.
Report and Documentary Highlight Benefits of Artworks for Civic Engagement Four Projects in South LA Represent Shift Towards “Art As Infrastructure”