BENTONVILLE -- Benton and Washington counties have a solid core of large arts institutions but need more independent artists and small arts organization, according to a study released Thursday.
Members of the arts community packed Haxton Road Studios to hear and then ask questions about the study Arts Vibrancy in Northwest Arkansas by SMU Data Arts. The study, paid for by the Walton Family Foundation, was for the years 2013-17.
The study uses an arts vibrancy index of three measurements -- an arts provider score (45 percent), an arts dollar score (45 percent) and a government support score (10 percent), according to a foundation news release.
There are more than 50,000 arts and cultural organizations across the country, said Zannie Voss, who presented the findings.
"It's not just on the coasts or in the big cities, it's everywhere," she said.
The study showed the Northwest Arkansas' overall arts vibrancy has increased since 2013 with the growth of large arts and cultural institutions such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which was founded in 2005 by the Walton Family Foundation as a nonprofit charitable organization.
In 2013, both counties were ranked below peer counties in overall arts vibrancy. In 2017, Benton County was higher than peer counties, and still below aspirational counties. Washington County was competitive with peer counties in 2017.
The area also has improved its rankings in arts education, "other museums," and in the community-based performing arts centers and theater sectors, the study says.
Rankings for Benton and Washington counties were measured against a set of peer counties nationwide and a set of counties the area aspires to be like.
The region ranked below peer counties of Larimer, Colo.; Polk, Iowa; Fayette, Ky.; Durham, N.C.; and Hamilton, Tenn., in the category of arts providers. The deficit comes in the number of smaller arts and cultural organizations and independent artists, according to the study.
The recently established University of Arkansas School of Art should help to attract independent artists to the area, the study says. The challenge will be to keep these independent artists in the community, it notes.
"What a study like this does is it tells you what you have in inventory and what you are missing," said Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas. "These cultural amenities are very important because they improve the quality of life."
Northwest Arkansas remained competitive in arts dollars and government support with its peer counties and the aspirational counties of Ramsey, Minn.; Travis, Texas; Buncombe, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; and Allegheny, Pa. That was mostly due to the museum sector, the study says.
The region lags in spending on performing arts, it says.
Excellent arts and cultural amenities are essential components to strengthen Northwest Arkansas, and the report makes clear Northwest Arkansas is moving in the right direction, said Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of Northwest Arkansas Council.
"Our companies are in a global competition to recruit the best talent, and area residents expect amenities akin to the best places in the world," he said. "They expect a great work-life balance. Ongoing arts and culture investments ensure that we maintain that balance."
Mary Ley, chief executive officer of the Arkansas Arts Academy in Rogers, said arts and culture will continue to grow in the area.
"It's all about the arts," she said. "The kids want it, the parents want it, the people want it."
Ley said there are pockets of art coming from many different smaller entities in the area. She would like to find a way to share resources.
"We all need to come together at the table and see how we can help each other," she said.
State Desk on 04/05/2019