“Some organizations thrive against the odds.”

That’s the message shared by Tessitura President and CEO Andrew Recinos in an article published by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Every five years, the NEA works with the U.S. Census Bureau to ask Americans about the role the arts play in their lives. The most recent Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), conducted in 2022, shows sharp decreases in attendance across art forms. The full data set gathered since 1982 demonstrates a consistent, multi-decade decline in American arts audiences.

And yet, Andrew wrote, “I believe that there are reasons for optimism.” Tessitura supports hundreds of arts organizations in the U.S. and elsewhere, helping their teams as they navigate the ongoing challenges seen in the SPPA data.

“I periodically meet with arts organizations and leaders who buck the SPPA trends and increase participation. I call these organizations Trend Busters,” he noted. 

“While the numbers speak for themselves, I believe that there are reasons for optimism.”

Andrew identifies two philosophical approaches that these trend busters use to increase participation in the arts: go broad, or go deep.

“Go Broad organizations define their product narrowly and their reach broadly. […] Go Broad organizations often have words like ‘the widest possible audience’ in their mission statements,” Andrew observed.

On the other hand, he continued, "Go Deep organizations define their reach narrowly but their product broadly. A Go Deep organization looks for a deep, pervasive connection with a specific community.”

Andrew shared examples and analysis of several trend busters, offering a ray of optimism in today’s arts landscape. The full article, titled “Decoding the Trend Busters: How Some Arts Organizations Are Increasing Participation as National Figures Decline,” is available on the NEA’s website. 

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