Rand Corp: Stop Quantifying, Focus On Quality

“After wading through stacks of economic and educational studies used to drum up arts funding, Rand Corp. researchers say the numbers don’t make a persuasive case and that arts advocates should emphasize intrinsic benefits that make people cherish the arts.” Education and economic return have been proven selling points with politicians who are otherwise reluctant to fund the arts at all, but the Rand study says that “trumpeting the most quantifiable and utilitarian benefits doesn’t address the biggest long-term challenge facing arts organizations: cultivating an arts-savvy public that wants what museums and performing groups offer.”