The development of the arts in the United States - music, dance, architecture, the visual arts, and literature - has been marked by a tension between two strong sources of inspiration: European sophistication and domestic originality. Frequently, the best American artists have managed to harness both sources.

The 20th century has been one in which artists in the U.S. have broken from Old World antecedents, taking the various cultural disciplines in new directions with impressive, innovative results. Music, film, theater, dance, architecture and other artistic expressions have been enhanced and transformed by the creative drive of American people, particularly in the years following World War II.

According to the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 2002, and the Cultural Policy and the Arts National Data Archive (CPANDA), there are:

• 81 million Americans (About 40% of the adult population) who attended at least one of the seven arts activities - jazz, classical music, opera, musical plays, plays, ballet, or art museums in the past 12 months.
• 2,511,000 artists in the U.S. in 2001.
• 1,500 professional theaters operating in the U.S.
• More than 1,200 symphony orchestras, plus another 600 youth orchestras, and roughly 120 opera companies.
• 5,000 writers' conferences now offered around the nation

• The Arts in America: New Directions DOS IIP
• The Arts Today DOS IIP
• Bringing Art to All Americans DOS IIP
• Contemporary U.S. Literature: Multicultural Perspectives DOS IIP
• How the United States Fund the Arts National Endowment for the Arts
• National Endowment for the Arts, 1965-2000 - A Brief Chronology of Federal Support for the Arts
• Portrait of the USA: Distinctively American Arts USIA
• Portrait of the USA: Exporting Popular Culture USIA
• The Return of Beauty DOS IIP

• 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts National Endowment for the Arts
• Artist Labor Force by State, 2000 National Endowment for the Arts, May 2004
• The Arts in the GDP National Endowment for the Arts, Jul. 2003
• Arts, Entertainment and Recreation - Statistical Abstract of the United States
• Demographic Characteristics of Arts Attendance, 2002 National Endowment for the Arts, Jul. 2003
• International Data on Government Spending on the Arts National Endowment for the Arts, Jan. 2000

• American Association of Museums
• ArtLex Art Dictionary
• ArtSource
• AskArt -The American Artists Bluebook
• College Art Association
• Cultural Policy and the Arts National Data Archive (CPANDA)
• Dictionary of Art Historians - A Biographical Dictionary of Historic Scholars, Museum Professionals and Academic Historians of Art
• Directory of State Humanities Councils
• Fairs, Festivals, and Biennials
• Federal Resources for Education: Arts ED
• INFOMINE Visual and Performing Arts
• National Assembly of State Art Agencies
• National Endowment for the Arts
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• Online Links to Cultural History Resources DOS IIP
• State, Regional, and Jurisdictional Art Agencies National Endowment for the Arts
• Symbols.com – Online Encyclopedia of Western Signs of Ideograms
• Union List of Artist Names Online Getty Institute
• World Wide Arts Resources
• WorldImages Kiosk California State Library

Back