This study examines the size and structure of the arts sector and systems of support in major metropolitan areas and identifies strategies for sustainability, with the aim of providing policy recommendations to the city of Philadelphia.

The study was supported by a grant from William Penn Foundation and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. The sponsors selected the following cities for examination: Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and, of course, Philadelphia.

This monograph should be of interest not only to Philadelphians but also to policy- makers and arts leaders in these and other major metropolitan areas. Readers interested in the roots of the current problems facing metropolitan arts sectors should focus on Chapter Two. Those who are particularly interested in the methods we developed with regard to applicability to other regions should look at Chapters Three and Four. Those interested solely in Philadelphia should turn to Chapter Five.

The study was produced under the auspices of RAND Education, a division of the RAND Corporation.

This study examines the size and structure of the arts sector and systems of support in major metropolitan areas and identifies strategies for sustainability, with the aim of providing policy recommendations to the city of Philadelphia.