Equity and Demographic Data: A Question-Centered Approach for the Future

Tuesday, October 20, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized by Arin Sullivan, Director of Programs & Client Services, Cultural Data Project; and Beth Tuttle, President and CEO, Cultural Data Project.

Moderated by Beth Tuttle, President and CEO, Cultural Data Project. Presented by Jasmine Marrow, Director of Nonprofit Strategy, GuideStar; and Zannie Voss, Director, SMU National Center for Arts Research.

Sweeping demographic change is raising questions about how to achieve greater equity in access to services, employment, and funding. As arts, cultural, and philanthropic organizations seek to align their business practices, programs, and services with changing communities, reliable data are needed in order to paint a true picture of where they are today and develop a strategic vision for change. Plans for field-wide data collection – on leadership, workforce, audiences, or constituencies – must begin, however, from a shared understanding of goals and needs. This session will combine lessons learned from early demographic data collection initiatives with World Café-style conversations to discuss objectives and key questions about equity that data can help answer as well as next steps for data gathering approaches.