SMU DATA ARTS FINDS:
‘Arts-Vibrant’
Oneonta On List
Of Top 10 Cities
ONEONTA – Oneonta, as the urban core of Otsego County, has been ranked as the eighth most arts-vibrant small community in the United States by SMU DataArts, City Hall announced today.
SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, released its fifth annual Arts Vibrancy Index Report, which ranks more than 900 communities across the nation, examining the level of supply, demand, and government support for the arts.
Oneonta’s ranking is a reflection on all of Otsego County with the city as its urban core. The report notes the presence of Cooperstown’s museums, Glimmerglass Opera, Foothills Performing Arts Center and CANO.
“This recognition that Oneonta and surrounding Otsego County are rich in both artists and arts organizations is consistent with the recently completed Artspace study,” said Mayor Gary Herzig, “and further supports the current proposal to create affordable artists’ lofts in our downtown. Our artists contribute greatly to both our quality of life and our economy.”
SMU’s Center for Arts Research ranks more than 900 communities across the country, examining the level of supply, demand and government support for the arts in each city. The small community category includes communities with a population under 100,000 including an urban core of 10,000-50,000). The report complements each listed community’s scores with information about what makes the community unique and dynamic.
The top five small communities were Jackson, Wyo., Summit Park, Utah, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Bennington, Vt., and Vineyard Haven, Mass. One other New York community, Hudson, was also included in the top 10.
Dr. Zannie Voss, director of SMU DataArts.stated, “Arts and cultural organizations exist throughout the nation, serving communities both poor and affluent, rural and urban The current climate of polarization makes it more important than ever to recognize and celebrate the essential role that arts and culture play in making communities throughout the country not only more vibrant places to live and visit but also more unified, safe and tolerant.”