Strong Arts & Cultural Organizations in Vibrant Cities

Zannie Voss, Director | SMU DataArts

Lindsay Anderson, VP of Client Development | TRG Arts

We all know Chicago to be a city with a wide variety of entertainment experiences and a thriving arts and cultural scene. TRG Arts and the team at SMU DataArts share a belief in the impact arts and culture has on a community, and we were curious to look more closely at Chicago and better understand what makes it so culturally vibrant.

Now in its fourth iteration, the annual Arts Vibrancy Index from SMU DataArts examines data from nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and combines that with community data to create the annual report. “The integrated data set helps analysts identify factors that affect the health and sustainability of arts organizations,” said Director of SMU DataArts Zannie Voss. “Understanding community context can shed light on some of the challenges and opportunities individual organizations face.”

What helps a city like Chicago become culturally vibrant? SMU DataArts uses multiple measures to assess vibrancy that roll up to three core areas of focus: supply, demand, and public support for arts and culture on a per capita basis. In its 2018 Arts Vibrancy Index Report, Chicago* ranked 16th among cities with a population of one million or more.

There’s a relationship between the cultural organizations in the Chicago community and it’s vibrancy. With its high demand, quantity and quality of arts and cultural organizations, and level of federal support, Chicago is fertile ground for organizations like Grant Park Music Festival. In return, the Festival enhances the vibrancy of Chicago’s community.

We chose to examine this city and organization because Grant Park Music Festival operates as a unique collaboration among the Grant Park Orchestral Association, the Chicago Park District, and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Together these partners strive to bring classical music to as many people in the Chicago community as possible, thereby contributing to the city’s arts vibrancy. Building the organization’s long-term sustainability, however, requires honoring the long-standing commitment to free admission while building patron loyalty.

Photo Credit: Grant Park Orchestral Association

“As a result of targeted focus and additional investment in One Night Member Passes, The Festival saw demand for this new offering grow from 2017 to 2018 by 11% in units and 12% in revenue.”

Here’s what the SMU team learned about Chicago and how that relates to the success of Grant Park Music Festival in the community:

Photo Credit: Grant Park Orchestral Association

1. It is a vibrant place to experience art and to work in the arts.

Chicago ranks 51st in Arts Providers overall, scoring in the top 3% of markets on the per capita number of arts, culture and entertainment options. More organizations translate to more availability of arts and cultural experiences and employment opportunities for people in that community. It also means more variety, so a greater diversity of interests and preferences can be met.

Grant Park Music Festival’s reaches nearly one million Chicagoans and visitors each summer with free concerts, education and community engagement initiatives, and a live radio broadcast that reaches an even larger audience. Its worldclass orchestra and chorus perform classical music in Millennium Park located in the heart of the city along Lake Michigan. The performance space enables the Festival to offer a variety of arts-going experiences for a large, diverse audience, from classical music enthusiasts who want to sit up close in reserved seats, to casual attendees interested in a free musical experience on the lawn with their friends or family.

Photo Credit: Grant Park Orchestral Association

2. There is high demand for arts and culture.

Chicago scores 21st—in the top 2%—on Arts & Dollars spent overall and has strength in the four underlying measures. If a community were uninterested in the arts or didn’t have the means to financially support the arts, earned and contributed revenue would be low.

TRG and the Festival began working together in 2015 and defined a loyalty pathway to bridge the gap between free concert attendance and more consistent attendance and philanthropic support. The organization was missing a step between free lawn attendance and membership, and data collection was challenging, making it difficult for the Festival to deploy targeted invitations to deepen engagement. One Night Member Passes (like more traditional single tickets) were introduced to help address both needs, and the Festival committed additional marketing dollars to support the program, spending 25% above best practice ranges. One Night Member Passes enabled the organization to offer audiences a taste of the benefits of membership, while creating a database of potential supporters to cultivate as future members and donors. As a result of targeted focus and additional investment in One Night Member Passes, The Festival saw demand for this new offering grow from 2017 to 2018 by 11% in units and 12% in revenue.

Plans were also developed to grow the size of the Festival’s database, which was primarily limited to its members when we began working together. The Festival purchased lists based on demographic variables, and traded lists with other organizations using the Chicago community network databases TRG manages.

While the Festival has been successful in engaging the support of patrons from the area immediately surrounding its performance venue, over the years its support has broadened to include areas beyond downtown and lakeshore neighborhoods to those in the southside, westside and other western neighborhoods, further extending its reach. The number of households in the database has more than tripled since these efforts began, and emphasis is still placed on encouraging patrons to stay active.

Photo Credit: Grant Park Orchestral Association

3. Chicago is well supported with federal arts grants and dollars while there is comparatively less availability of state support.

In addition to the direct impact of funding, federal arts support has a positive influence on giving from individuals, trustees, and corporations.

Grant Park Music Festival received financial support from the Chicago Park District as a result of its unique collaboration with the City of Chicago. That support is set to sunset in 2025, and the Festival has been making changes to its model to ensure it can sustain itself once that support is withdrawn. That has been a primary driver for building a more robust pathway for loyalty with its patrons and therefore a more resilient organization.

Grant Park Music Festival’s results are inspiring, including significant growth in revenue, households and first-time buyers. The hard work of its people and the growing investment in its operation are helping them achieve the goals of the organization and its partners. The Festival’s success is inextricably linked to the arts vibrancy of the Chicago community, particularly its high level of demand as revealed in the ranking of money spent in arts and culture. At the same time, the Festival contributes to the city’s arts vibrancy through its growth and reach. It’s a symbiotic relationship we recognize can be found in many vibrant cities across North America, and these are examples we can all learn from.

*Chicago, Naperville and Arlington Heights form one of four metropolitan divisions that make up the more expansive Chicago metro area.