Centering the Picture: The role of race & ethnicity in cultural engagement

This report, released in December 2020, presents our analysis of response patterns by race and ethnicity in the first phase of Culture + Community in a Time of Crisis (CCTC), a national audience and community survey conducted in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Authors Jen Benoit-Bryan, Madeline Smith, Matthew Jenetopulos, and Peter Linett explore how and why Americans of all racial/ethnic groups connect to arts, culture, and creativity; what they need from the sector during times of challenge and change; how they’ve engaged digitally during the lockdowns; and how they want arts and culture organizations to change. The 56-page report includes an executive summary, introduction, findings, “snapshots” for each racial and ethnic group, a concluding discussion, and several appendices (see below), with a foreword by the distinguished museum educator Esther J. Washington of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

CCTC is a multi-phase research collaboration between Slover Linett and LaPlaca Cohen, with key findings disseminated as part of LaPlaca Cohen’s ongoing Culture Track study. Generous funding or support for Wave 1 was provided by the Wallace Foundation, Terra Foundation for American Art, Art Bridges, FocusVision, and Microsoft Corporation. This report builds on the overall Key Findings shared with the field in July 2020.

Please click the images below to view or download the report and appendices. The authors welcome questions and comments at CCTC@sloverlinett.com.

Report cover image: “Dance For George” protest in Harlem, New York City, June 2020. Courtesy of Deb Fong Photography (Instagram @deb_fong_photography; debfong.com).