Title
A Survey of the Arts in Everyday Life 2002 [electronic resource] Alaka Wali, Rebecca Severson, Mario Longoni
Summary
A Survey of the Arts in Everyday Life 2002 examined the involvement of Chicago-area individuals in "informal" arts activities, such as acting in community theater, singing in a church choir, writing poetry at the local library, or painting portraits in a home studio. This survey was a significant component in the larger study "Informal Arts: Finding Cohesion, Capacity and Other Cultural Benefits in Unexpected Places," which was a two and a half year study of the informal arts in Chicago undertaken by Columbia College Chicago's Center for Arts Policy. The research was undertaken by Principal Investigator Alaka Wali Ph.D., ethnographers Rebecca Severson M.A. and Mario Longoni M.A., the survey statistician Kevin Karpiak, and dedicated interns and professional volunteers. Elena Marcheschi J.D. took on the overall responsibilities of Project Director. This survey is used frequently to reinforce and expand on ethnographic findings drawn from a series of case studies and at large fieldwork. The University of Illinois Survey Lab assisted in the survey design. As part of the strategy to triangulate the data sources, the survey instrument was designed to test researchers' findings and to gather additional data on areas such as participants' depth of involvement in civic life. The questionnaire contained 67 questions divided into broad topical areas such as organizational dynamics, networks, resources and barriers, and visibility of arts, in addition to demographics. The sampling goal was to get a census of all the participants at each case study location at a given moment in time. Most of the questionnaires were mailed to participants. Other questionnaires were either hand-delivered or emailed. During August 2001, 165 of the 310 recipients completed and returned the survey. Partial funding for this study was provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Urban Institute/Arts and Culture Indicators in Community Building Project (ACIP), and Columbia College Chicago. Cf: http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR35242.v1