Arts Access Project

Opening doors to the arts

About:

In 2019, Arts Alive! & Antioch New England created a partnership to challenge and understand the relationship between arts and health. We are compiling information to help arts organizations better serve the Monadnock community.

Local information was gathered during the height of lockdown during the winter surge of the COVID 19 Pandemic: January to March of 2021. To gather statistical information, community members were asked to complete a 5-minute survey. Five 6-8 person focus groups were also held, so that we could better understand the survey’s statistical information through people’s stories. 

We had over 360 participants take the survey, which was shared by arts organizations, employers, and nonprofits. We incentivized participation in the survey by holding a raffle for gas and grocery cards and we paid focus group participants for their time - both were intended to support equitable participation and alleviate some financial impacts information-gathering.

Through the study, we are working to understand how

• A connected community fosters wellbeing

• Participating in Arts & Cultural activities can help individuals reduce loneliness

• Many community members are aware of this connection

• Community members seek out activities where they can engage with others and participate in cultural activities

For a rundown of the specific results, download our 1-pager!

Be sure to take time to watch the videos below for a more comprehensive picture of the data.

In April 2022, Arts Alive hosted educational events on the findings of the Arts & Loneliness study. Watch the webinar here.