Performing Arts Attendance: What Leads Audiences to Travel Further?

The Role of Creative Placemaking

Arts leaders’ reactions to the recent cancellation of NEA grants highlight the important role government funding plays for individual arts organizations, but little is known about how government grant revenue might shape the broader arts sector. This study uses NEA grants as a test case, evaluating their impact on a persistent feature of the U.S. arts sector: the concentration of revenue within a small cohort of the largest organizations. Findings suggest that NEA grants are associated with lower arts revenue concentration, but large organizations appear to moderate the association. Implications for theory, program evaluation, grantmaking, and local communities are discussed.

ABSTRACTDue to budget constraints, schools in the United States have increasingly turned to community arts organizations for support. School-community arts partnership stakeholders collaborate because of shared missions to provide students with valuable arts learning experiences. Investigations of these initiatives indicate that these partnerships improve arts learning opportunities and increase public support and resources for arts education. However, not much is known about the experiences and perspectives of the arts organizations that participate in these partnerships. Coordinating collective efforts with a multitude of institutions and interests poses challenges. In this study, we examine survey data collected from arts organization administrators who participated in a large-scale school-community arts partnership initiative. We find that these organizations are generally positive about their impacts on students’ educational outcomes, but there is substantial variation in these views. We also find that organizations differ in their levels of support for these collective efforts. Sources of this variation appear to be attributable to organizations’ preexisting resources and extent to which they are established. While this difference in levels of support is potentially inevitable, we find evidence that the operations handled by the “backbone” organization, i.e. the initiative’s facilitators and overseers, can significantly influence organizations’ levels of support for these efforts. Organizations are more likely to support these collaborative efforts when they believe the backbone organization ensures transparency with initiative operations, provides regular, effective communication, and effectively resolves competing priorities.

Many arts organisations seek to increase the diversity of their audiences. Recent literature suggests that this requires organisations to interrogate and change their ways of operating. This is a fundamental shift for a sector that has long considered the goal of diversifying audiences as a problem external to the organisation. Responding to this discrepancy, this article compares attitudes and behaviours among workers in arts organisations, to identify whether staff see the need to make change and practise the behaviours required. It identifies and uses three organisational capabilities – ‘dynamic capabilities’, ‘social networks’ and ‘business improvement processes’ – to frame an analysis of a national survey of arts workers. Through our analysis of this survey, we find that programming is an area of organisational practice that arts organisations are least prepared to change, that artsworkers perceive the value of evaluation to the organisation as limited, and that, over all, behaviours lag behind attitudes. We conclude that there is more interest in actions to diversify audiences amongst artsworkers than are currently embedded into organisational processes, but less confidence in such actions when they encroach on artistic programming.

Blind Eye focuses on the need for accessibility within artistic content that services the blind and visually impaired, which is essential for promoting equitable inclusion in the 21st century. Adequate, conscious programming developed as accessible content can provide a gateway for this population to become a robust presence in the sector as artists or arts administrators. The phenomenological research is studied through semi-structured interviews to understand the accessibility of program content produced by arts organizations for blind and visually impaired artists and blind and visually impaired patrons. The literature review discusses the lack of universal accessible artistic content, while divulging what tangible artistic programing does exist for this population. The literature explores the historical effects of accessible art programming that caters to the blind and visually impaired through multiple case studies, scholarly research, and practical real-life examples. Additionally, the blind and visually impaired artist interview findings examine their personal experiences through their art and correlates to arts organizations that provide accessible artistic programs. The findings explore the successes and limitations of accessible artistic programs and point out initiatives that can be put into place by arts organizations not currently serving this underrepresented population. Nevertheless, the overarching takeaway is for the arts and culture sector to take a drastic step toward artistic content becoming accessible for the blind and visually impaired community, resulting in long-term change. (Blind Eye is presented in a conversational tone to enable the largest, most diverse percentage of the population to be able to utilize and comprehend its purpose and findings.)

AimThe effects of geographic and environmental variables on patterns of genetic and phenotypic differentiation have been thoroughly studied. Ecological speciation involves reproductive isolation due to divergent natural selection that can result in a positive correlation between genetic divergence and adaptive phenotypic divergence (isolation by adaptation, IBA). If the phenotypic target of selection is unknown or not easily measured, environmental variation can be used as a proxy, expecting positive correlation between genetic and environmental distances, independent of geographic distances (isolation by environment, IBE). The null model is that the amount of gene flow between populations decreases as the geographic distance between them increases, and genetic divergence is due simply to the neutral effects of genetic drift (isolation by distance, IBD). However, since phenotypic differentiation in natural populations may be autocorrelated with geographic distance, it is often difficult to distinguish IBA from the neutral expectation of IBD. In this work, we test hypotheses of IBA, IBE, and IBD in the Red‐crowned Ant tanager (Habia rubica).LocationMesoamerica (Mexico—Central America) and South America.TaxonHabia rubica (Aves: Cardinalidae).MethodsWe compiled genetic data, coloration, and morphometric data from specimens from collections in Mexico and the United States. We used the Multiple Matrix Regression with Randomization (MMRR) approach to evaluate the influence of geographic and environmental distances on genetic and phenotypic differentiation of H. rubica at both phylogroup and population levels.ResultsOur results provide strong evidence that geographic distance is the main driver of genetic variation in H. rubica. We did not find evidence that climate variation is driving population differentiation in this species across a widespread geographic region.Main conclusionsOur data point to geographic isolation as the main factor structuring genetic variation within populations of H. rubica and suggest that climate is not playing a major role in genetic differentiation within this species.

This paper examines the spatial dynamics of planktonic and contour algal metacommunities in two- and three-dimensional spaces within lotic and lentic ecosystems in Ukraine, focusing on case studies from the Kyiv and Kaniv Water Reservoirs, as well as the Ukrainian section of the Western Bug River and its tributaries. To study the spatial dynamics of algae in the horizontal plane, the well-known geographic method called Distance Decay of Similarity (DDS) was applied. It allows finding out whether there is any decrease in similarity between the local algal communities with increase in the geographic distance between the localities. Using the DDS method, we developed an integrated approach for assessing the "spatial factor," which considers both the geographic distance between localities and their degree of hydrological isolation. It has been proven that this integrated approach makes it possible to obtain more reliable data on the impact of the “spatial factor” upon the dispersal of algae. The spatial dynamics along the vertical axis includes exchange of species between the localities of the same type and between the localities of different types. Vertical dynamics in the system of localities of the same type can be illustrated by vertical diurnal migrations of planktonic Cyanobacteria, such as Microcystis aeruginosa (Kützing) Kützing. Vertical dynamics between the localities of different types includes sedimentation of some algal species from the plankton to the bottom and aquatic plants’ surface during algal blooms periods. In complex studies of algal metacommunities it is important to analyze their spatial dynamics in the three-dimensional space, which combines both the horizontal plane and vertical axis. In three localities within Kaniv Water Reservoir 72 species of algae were identified in plankton, 81 species in benthos and 80 species in epiphytic communities. There were 21 common (potentially interacting) species between phytoplankton and microphytobenthos, 18 – between phytoplankton and epiphytic algal communities, and 44 between microphytobenthos and epiphytic algal communities. As many as 14 species were common for phytoplankton, microphytobenthos and epiphytic algal communities. The algal metacommunity under study comprised a total of 164 species. The higher degree of species similarity was observed between the local communities in the horizontal plane than along the vertical axis. Applying the three-dimensional space concept enables the study of species exchange between local algal communities of different types, which form metacommunities within large lotic and lentic continental ecosystems.

Existing software engineering and organization development literature acknowledges that there are fundamental operational differences between small and large organizations. Despite this recognition, there has been no attempt to verify whether small and large software organizations implement software process improvement (SPI) programs differently in order to advance their businesses.This study examines whether an organization's size affects its SPI implementation strategy and the degree of SPI success. Based on an extensive literature review of critical factors of quality management, organizational learning, and SPI, a survey questionnaire was developed and data on the implementation of six organizational factors and the resulting organizational performance was collected through a mail survey of 120 software organizations. The findings show that small organizations reported that they implement SPI elements as effectively as large organizations, and in turn, achieve high organizational performance. The main lesson to be learned from this study is that to implement SPI at least as effectively as their large counterparts, small software organizations should capitalize on their relative strengths in employee participation and exploration of new knowledge.

Existing software engineering and organization development literature acknowledges that there are fundamental operational differences between small and large organizations. Despite this recognition, there has been no attempt to verify whether small and large software organizations implement software process improvement (SPI) programs differently in order to advance their businesses.This study examines whether an organization's size affects its SPI implementation strategy and the degree of SPI success. Based on an extensive literature review of critical factors of quality management, organizational learning, and SPI, a survey questionnaire was developed and data on the implementation of six organizational factors and the resulting organizational performance was collected through a mail survey of 120 software organizations. The findings show that small organizations reported that they implement SPI elements as effectively as large organizations, and in turn, achieve high organizational performance. The main lesson to be learned from this study is that to implement SPI at least as effectively as their large counterparts, small software organizations should capitalize on their relative strengths in employee participation and exploration of new knowledge.

Existing software engineering and organization development literature acknowledges that there are fundamental operational differences between small and large organizations. Despite this recognition, there has been no attempt to verify whether small and large software organizations implement software process improvement (SPI) programs differently in order to advance their businesses.This study examines whether an organization's size affects its SPI implementation strategy and the degree of SPI success. Based on an extensive literature review of critical factors of quality management, organizational learning, and SPI, a survey questionnaire was developed and data on the implementation of six organizational factors and the resulting organizational performance was collected through a mail survey of 120 software organizations. The findings show that small organizations reported that they implement SPI elements as effectively as large organizations, and in turn, achieve high organizational performance. The main lesson to be learned from this study is that to implement SPI at least as effectively as their large counterparts, small software organizations should capitalize on their relative strengths in employee participation and exploration of new knowledge.

Digital services in healthcare and social services have increased due to national promotion and Covid19 pandemic. However, the regional differences may exist. Successful implementation and sustainability of digital services requires that attention is paid to addressing barriers and supporting facilitators at all levels in health care provision.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of employee status, form of organization and organizational size on the views related to current state and the role of digital services, development barriers, development plans and the support needed for development in welfare, social and health service organizations operating in the South Ostrobothnia region. The study was carried out in the era of exceptional circumstances created by the Covid19 pandemic in the summer of 2021. The study was a quantitative cross-sectional study using an electronic survey. Respondents (n = 121) were managers, entrepreneurs and employees of welfare, social and health service organizations operating in the South Ostrobothnia region.The results suggested that in more than four out of five welfare, social and health service organizations operating in the region of South Ostrobothnia, part of the services were already digital in the summer of 2021. These services had been extensively developed during the previous year, which was lived in exceptional circumstances caused by the Covid19 pandemic. Digital services were seen to function especially as enablers of customers in exceptional circumstances. However, managers or entrepreneurs also saw digital services as reaching new customers more important than employees. The acquisition of technology and human resources were felt to be the most significant barriers in the development of digital services, regardless of the employee status, form of organization and organization size. Regarding the use and development of digital services, information was felt to be necessary, especially about the characteristics of digital services, and financial support was also felt to be necessary for the development. However, the support needs were significant in many aspects related to digital service development. In particular, large organizations needed information on the cost-effectiveness of digital services.The results can be used to support welfare, social and health service organizations in digital service development.

The objective of this study was to investigate and identify the strategies used by arts organizations in response to the challenges and regulations introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States of America. The study also examined the programs and operations that were affected by COVID-19 safety regulations, what struggles arts organizations encountered while adjusting to those regulations, and what made operations successful, or not? What public needs were programs created to address, and what programs will be offered in the future because of the innovations coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic? To conduct this research, The Eckert Art Gallery, The GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, and the Demuth Museum were contacted to dissect their organizational responses to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Examining different types of organizations allowed for a better understanding of how the arts and their audiences were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Academic literature, along with timely articles and reports, were utilized to contextualize current and previously existing trends in educational and programmatic standards, virtual learning strategies and challenges, COVID-19 regulations, and their effects on the arts in the United States, and strategies for community engagement. A multiple case study was conducted to analyze the experiences of arts professionals in the adaptation of their public programs. This multiple case study found that arts organizations were filling the gaps in both educational and social opportunities. Referencing audience response and comparing participation numbers throughout the development process of was a way in which organizations kept track of the relative success of their programs. Throughout the course of the pandemic, these organizations have had to consistently revise and re-plan their operations. Transferring programs to fully virtual settings was the initial response to mandated shuttering of brick-and-mortar sites, but as the pandemic progressed audiences were not as responsive to online options especially when businesses were allowed to open their on-site operations once again. The opening and closing of physical spaces was a constant factor to consider as mandates were repeatedly tightened and relaxed. In response, arts organizations redirected their efforts to design hybrid programs that mixed both in-person experiences with virtual opportunities. Throughout this touch and go process, organizations formed many partnerships and received funding from local and government bodies in the form of grants and contributions. In general, businesses, artists, educators, and other arts entities were willing to work together to support each other in the organizational navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States of America.

The Southwest United States (US) and Mesoamerica are often thought of as disparate regional networks separated by Northern Mexico. Chaco Canyon in the Southwest US, Tlatelolco in Central Mexico and Casas Grandes in Northern Mexico, all had large inter‐regional trade centres that economically connected these networks. This study investigated how factors such as geographic distance, shared migration history, trade and political interaction affected biological relationships and population affinities among sites in Mexico and in Southwest US during the Postclassic period (ad 900 ~ 1520). Distances based on cultural and geographic variables derived from archaeological and ethnohistoric data were compared with phenetic distances obtained from dental morphological traits. The results of Mantel tests show trade (corr = 0.441, p = 0.005), shared migration history (corr = 0.496, p = 0.004) and geographic distance (corr = 0.304, p = 0.02) are significantly correlated with phenetic distances, whereas political interaction (corr = 0.157, p = 0.133) is not. Partial Mantel tests show trade (corr = 0.223, p = 0.049) and shared migration history (corr = 0.493, p = 0.003) remain significant when controlling for similarities with geographic distance, although the correlation for trade and phenetic distance is lowered. Geographic distance is not significant when similarities with trade (corr = 0.067, p = 0.681) and shared migration history (corr = 0.148, p = 0.127) are controlled. These results highlight the importance of economic relationships and shared migration history across geographic regions in interpreting biological relationships among contemporaneous populations in prehistoric Mexico and the Southwest US. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Community‐driven science and science education: Living in and navigating the edges of equity, justice, and science learning

This paper investigates the joint impact of public and private information on analysts’ forecasting behaviour. Information disclosure determines the quality and quantity of public information. The geographical distance between listed firms’ headquarters and brokerage houses determines the difficulty and costs of analysts obtaining private information, which affect the quality and quantity of private information. Firstly, this paper finds results consistent with prior literature that the higher the disclosure level of the firm and the shorter the geographical distance between firms and brokerage headquarters, the more frequently analysts make earnings forecasts and the lower the forecast errors. Furthermore, this paper examines the joint effects of information disclosure and geographical distance on analysts’ forecasts and finds that information disclosure quality imposes a stronger impact on analysts’ forecast frequency and forecast error than distance. Moreover, the effect of geographical distance on the frequency and errors of analysts’ forecasts is manifested only in the case of higher information disclosure quality. These results imply that both public and private information affect analysts’ forecasts but that their effects are asymmetric. Public information has a significantly stronger impact on analysts’ forecasts than private information, and the effect of private information depends on a better public information environment. This paper has significant value to public policy regulators, market participants, stakeholders, and academics in China and can help to increase their understanding of the impact of public and private information on analysts’ forecasts.