I’m getting some great responses to my recent posts on the evangelical qualities required of arts managers (I’ll post some excerpts from those responses soon). But I had forgotten how the comparison runs the other way, as well: religious organizations are vital arts administrators, too.
I stumbled again on this arts and religion survey done by Gallup a few years back, and the findings bring that issue home:
…about six out of every seven places of worship (85%) sponsored at least one of the following artistic activities within the year preceding the survey — an adult choir; a children’s choir; a drama or skit; a musical performance (outside of worship services); an art festival or craft fair; a group discussion of art, literature, or poetry; a liturgical dance performance; or private music lessons. The most common artistic activities available to congregants were adult and children’s choirs, present in about 71% and 58% of places of worship, respectively.Even without counting choirs, nearly three-quarters of places of worship (73%) sponsored at least one of the other artistic activities listed above during the year prior to the survey. Nearly half (47%) sponsored a drama or skit, while a similar percentage (45%) sponsored a musical performance outside of worship services). One-third of places of worship (34%) sponsored an art festival or craft fair.
It’s easy to get stuck in the idea that professional, nonprofit cultural institutions are the primary and central providers of cultural experience for their communities. It’s nice to get a reminder now and then — as these statistics provide — that we’re just one player in the game.
For those keeping score at home, Evangelicals and Fundamentalists program the most dramas and skits, Roman Catholics dominate the arts and craft fair category, and Mainline Protestants hold second place across the board [here’s another handy chart, suitable for framing]. Now, there are some factoids for water-cooler conversations.
