Kansas leads nation in artistic creation

The Kansas Arts Commission has long known the love Kansans feel for the arts, but with results from a study of nationwide arts participation, the numbers are clear: Kansas leads the way nationally in artistic creation.

The National Endowment for the Arts recently released a comprehensive study of nationwide arts participation for 2008, with Kansas and Nebraska leading the nation in the personal performance or creation of activities.

According to the NEA study:

• 25 percent of Kansas adults pursue photography
• 20 percent said that they play a musical instrument
• Almost 19 percent reported that they are engaged in painting or drawing
• 18 percent in weaving and sewing
• 11.6 percent in pottery/ceramics
• Almost 11 percent were involved in creative writing

Attendance at performing arts events for Kansas is 32.5 percent of the population; while that number is slightly lower than the national average, it is higher than the average for the region.

The report finds that the percentage of adults nationally who attended an arts event was 35 percent, down five points from the 2002 level, but still a significant proportion of the population. At the same time, the percentage of adults experiencing arts events via technology – filmmaking, photography and downloading arts events from the internet – has grown tremendously.

More information at the Kansas Arts Commission.