Virginia is ranked 10th among the 50 US states in a newly released survey of “arts vibrancy” by SMU Data Arts, an arm of the National Center for Arts Research at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
The survey ranks states by the number of arts entities, their levels of spending, and on public support of the arts. Virginia ranks sixth in “arts dollars” (i.e., money spent on the arts), 22nd in the number of arts presenters, and fifth in public support.
The top nine states, in order, are New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maryland, California, Colorado, Illinois and Oregon.
The survey also ranks the states by rural populations and poverty rates, metrics that commonly indicate limited access to the arts. Among highly ranked states, Virginia has the second-largest rural population: 24.4 percent, exceeded only by Minnesota’s 28.1 percent. Virginia ranks low on residents living in poverty: 8.6 percent of its population. (The most arts-vibrant state, New York, has a 12.4 percent poverty rate.)
Virginia also is one of few highly ranked states lacking major urban arts centers or arts-centric seasonal destinations. The Washington, DC, metro area, which includes much of Northern Virginia, came in third in SMU Data Arts’ 2023 survey of arts-vibrant communities; but most of the Washington area’s major arts groups are based in the District of Columbia, and most of its large venues are in the district. (Maryland’s high ranking also may stem from its having counties in metro DC.)
Top-line findings in the SMU Data Arts survey:
http://culturaldata.org/state-of-the-arts-2023/overview/
Contributing to Virginia’s high ranking is its substantial number of mid-sized cities, college towns and smaller communities with active arts scenes.
In classical music, for example, Richmond, the seven Hampton Roads cities, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Williamsburg, Fairfax, Alexandria, McLean, Lynchburg, Petersburg, Waynesboro and Danville are home to symphony orchestras. Most of those communities and others – Blacksburg, Staunton, Fredericksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Hot Springs, Wintergreen – also stage chamber-music and choral series, music festivals and performances by college faculty and students.
Their reach extends well into Virginia’s exurban and rural areas, and many presenters offer free or low-cost events that make them accessible for low-income residents.
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