Goals
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Indicator Measures
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How are we doing?
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| 2.1 Contribution to Metro Boston's competitive edge |
2.1.1 “Creativity Index” ranking, Boston vs. other major cities |
Boston ranked 1st in “Coolness”, which measures population diversity and the number of creative class workers. Boston ranked 2nd for cultural facilities per capita and 5th for nightlife, restaurants and clubs. |
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2.1.2 Economic impact of Creative Cluster industries, Boston and Massachusetts |
Massachusetts’ nonprofit creative industries contributed roughly $2.1, or 60%, to the regional creative economy and Boston’s for-profit and nonprofit creative industries accounted for $10.7 billion of the $12.7 billion gross creative economic output. |
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2.1.3 Cultural sector funding, Metro Boston vs. other metro regions |
Among major cities, Boston only fell behind New York City in per capital contributions to the arts, and was behind Minneapolis, Atlanta and Denver in NEA (Federal) grants. |
2.2 Boston as an exciting regional destination
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2.2.1 Rankings of Cultural Vitality, Boston and Select Metro Regions |
In 2006, 50 major US metro area were ranked on 7 indicators of cultural vitality, Boston ranked a high of 4th in "arts nonprofits," and a low of 23rd in "artist jobs." |
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2.2.2 Attendance at major cultural events and spectacles, Boston and Massachusetts |
The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism reports that in 2006, museum attendance increased by 4.8% over 2005. |
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2.2.3 Impact on the local and regional tourist industry, Boston and Metro Boston |
In 2005 Boston attracted more than 17 million visitors, with some 10 million visiting for leisure and almost 7 million for business purposes—up almost 10% over 2003 figures. |
| 2.3 Impact of arts organizations on community life |
2.3.1 Distribution of arts and cultural facilities in relationship to the concentration of children, Boston neighborhood |
There is a growing mismatch between the location of children and the location of cultural facilities among Boston's neighborhoods. Back Bay contains 9 children under 18 per cultural facility. In contrast, Dorchester—home to more than 20,000 children and with a high ratio of children to adults—there are only 44 cultural facilities, with 500 children per facility. |
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2.3.2 Arists and visitors participating in Open Studios, Boston neighborhood |
In 2006, Boston’s Open Studios were held in 11 neighborhoods, down from 13 in 2004. However, rtist participation in Open Studios increased from 895 in 2002 to 1,184 in 2006. |
| 2.4 Vibrant Expressions of Cultural Diversity |
2.4.1 Online Cultural Resources Survey |
To gather the data to measure this indicator, please fill out the Greater Boston Cultural Resources Survey. Results will be posted at the end of each month. We thank you for participating in helping us track this important goal. |
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2.4.2 Demographically representative cultural institution leadership, Massachusetts |
Among cultural institutuion Boards of Directors, 79% of board members are white, 15% are African American and 3.4% are Asian, and 1.6% are Latino. Men hold 59% of the seats and women 41% of board positions. |
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2.4.3 Public festivals and celebrations, Boston neighborhood |
In addition to the 12 parades throughout the city and 14 Saint Day festivals held in the North End, Boston ethnic and neighborhood communities held 9 more festivals in 2006 than in 2004. |
| 2.5 Opportunities for arts education |
2.5.1 Teachers dedicated to visual arts, music, and theater in Boston's public schools |
Boston Public Schools employed 237 full-time teachers dedicated to visual arts, dance, theater and music, which is a ratio of about 240 children per 1 art teacher. |
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2.5.2 Children and youth participation in after-school arts programs, Boston |
In Boston the highest number of arts programs serve children 11-14 years old, 5 days a week and during vacations. |
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2.5.3 Students in degree-granting schools of visual and performing arts, Metro Boston |
Between 2000 and 2006, Boston’s visual and performing art institutions experienced an enrollment increase of 11%, with a total enrollment of 12,251 students in 2006. |
| 2.6 Equitable access to cultural participation |
2.6.1 Cultural facilities seats to population ratio, Boston |
A survey of 21 of Boston’s well-known theaters and performance venues shows that as of 2006, there are roughly 31 people per seat among these venues. |
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2.6.2 Free and reduced price tickets at cultural institutions and venues, Boston |
As of 2006, there are more than 500 free and low-cost events available throughout Boston, particularly Downtown and during the summer months offered through the City's ParkArts as well as BosTix and ArtsBoston. |
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2.6.3 Access to cultural facilities for people with physical disabilities |
68% of Massachusetts’ cultural sites have accessible restrooms, more than 50% have an accessible primary entrance and elevators, and numerous venues offer Braille, ASL, closed caption, audio caption, and international access symbol. |
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2.6.4 Comprehensive information about arts and culture activities and programs, Metro Boston |
Boston offers a host of traditional, online, neighborhood and audience-specific sources of entertainment and cultural information, including, Improper Bostonian, Stuff @ Night, Bay Windows, Kaleidoscope and latinboston.com. The UMASS-Boston Center on Media and Society’s Ethnic Media Project has a comprehensive list of ethnically and lingusistically-specific media. |
| 2.7 Public support and funding for the arts |
2.7.1 Levels of volunteering in arts and cultural organizations, Massachusetts |
In Massachusetts in 2006, 4.8% of the 1.43 million volunteers—roughly 70,000 people—contributed volunteer time to the creative sector, down from 11.2% of volunteers in 1989. However, cultural sector volunteering is higher than the national average, with only 3.6% of US volunteers donating time in this sector, down from 7.8% in 1989. |
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2.7.2 Dedicated artists’ housing units, Boston neighborhood |
Between 2001 and 2006, the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s Artist Space Initiative established 165 affordable, mixed-use artist housing units in diverse neighborhoods including Jamaica Plain, Dudley Square, the South End, and Fort Point Channel. Beginning in 2006 and into 2007, an additional 110 units are slated for construction in Hyde Park, South Boston and Roxbury. |
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2.7.3 Designated state and city funding for the arts |
In FY2007, the legislature appropriated $11.4 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC)--an increase of more than $3 million from FY2005. When compared to funding for the 49 other state arts agencies, Massachusetts ranked 11th in FY2006 funding per capita – spending just over $1.50 per person. |
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