Delaware ranks 11th nationally for arts vibrancy, fueled by public investment

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Delaware is once again earning national recognition for the strength of its arts community.

A new report from Southern Methodist University DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research, ranks Delaware No. 11 in the nation for arts vibrancy, while Wilmington placed 57th among the country’s 100 most arts-vibrant communities. The 10th annual Arts Vibrancy Index analyzed all 50 states and more than 900 communities using data on arts activity, audience participation and government support.

The recognition highlights Delaware’s long-standing investment in arts organizations and artists, as well as the role local audiences play in supporting cultural institutions across the state.

“That Delaware ranks eleventh in the nation for arts vibrancy reflects what sustained public investment in the arts can produce,” said Jessica Ball, director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “Through annual appropriations …, Delaware has built a cultural infrastructure of national consequence.”

Wilmington’s recognition emphasizes the city’s concentration of arts organizations from established institutions like the Delaware Art Museum, Grand Opera House, Delaware Theatre Company, OperaDelaware and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra to community-based organizations including the Christina Cultural Arts Center, The Music School of Delaware and First State Ballet Theatre. Signature events such as the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival also draw audiences from across the region, contributing to the city’s cultural footprint.

How were the rankings tabulated?

Andrew Truscott, the Delaware Division of the Arts program officer for marketing and communications, said the rankings are based on measurable data rather than subjective opinions about artistic quality.

“In plain terms, the first being how much art the community produces, how many people show up for it and spend their own money on it, and then how much the government invests in it,” he said. “Those researchers out of those three buckets call those supply, demand and public support, and those roll up into 13 different measures, everything from the number of arts organizations and working artists, all the way to ticket revenue and public and private philanthropy.”