New York Times
Arts, Briefly
January 24, 2011
By ROBIN POGREBIN; Compiled by RACHEL LEE HARRIS

The health of the American arts sector reached a 12-year low in 2009, according to a report from Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy group. The 2010 National Arts Index, which strives for a comprehensive picture of how the arts fared during the recession, shows that the vitality of the arts sector dropped a record 3.6 points, to 97.7. The losses from 2007 to 2009 were nearly double the gains made from 2003 to 2007, according to the report. At the same time, the number of nonprofit arts institutions grew by 3,000 during that period. As a result, the United States arts sector now includes 109,000 nonprofit organizations, 550,000 for-profit businesses and 2.2 million artists. But more organizations and individuals have struggled to make ends meet; in 2009, 41 percent of nonprofit arts organizations reporting to the I.R.S. failed to achieve a balanced budget, up from 36 percent in 2008.