The National Endowment for the Arts has released a comprehensive study of nationwide arts participation for 2008.  Kansas and Nebraska lead the nation in the personal performance or creation of activities. Twenty-five percent of Kansas adults pursue photography; 20 percent said that they played a musical instrument; almost 19 percent reported that they were engaged in painting or drawing; 18 percent in weaving and sewing; 11.6 percent in pottery/ceramics; almost 11 percent were involved in creative writing. Nebraska's numbers are similar. Attendance at performing arts events for our state is 32.5 percent of the population; while that number is lower than the national average, it is higher than the average for our region.

The report also finds that the percentage of adults nationally who attended an arts event was 35 percent, down five points from the 2002 level, but still a significant proportion of the population. At the same time, the percentage of adults experiencing arts events via technology - filmmaking, photography and downloading arts events from the internet - has grown tremendously.

By KCM Staff