ARTS: Cultural Participation and Connection to Community
Join us on Thursday, June 18, 2026, for the next edition of the Speaker Series!
At the top of the webinar, Nik Nanos will present the latest findings from the Arts Response Tracking Survey (ARTS), offering new insights into participation, audience motivations, and perceptions of arts and culture events across Canada.
The session will explore what drives Canadians to attend arts and culture events, how cultural experiences can strengthen connection and pride in communities across Canada, and what barriers may prevent audiences from feeling welcome. Join us as arts and culture leaders reflect on the findings and discuss how organizations can strengthen audience connection as we head into summer and peak season across the country.
Speakers
- Danielle Hitchcock, Principal + Creative Director, Twin Design (Brand Director, Hamilton Fringe Festival)
- Nazanin Shoja, Director, BC Culture Days
- Scott Tresham, CEO, Symphony Nova Scotia
- Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist & Founder, Nanos Research
Event Details
When: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET
Where: Zoom Webinar
Accessibility: This session will be presented with ASL interpretation and auto-generated French and English captions.
What is the Arts Response Tracking Survey (ARTS)?
ARTS is a partnership between Business / Arts, the National Arts Centre, and Nanos Research that conducts quarterly surveys of over 1000 Canadian culture-goers. Since its launch in May 2020, ARTS has offered valuable insights into audience behaviours and helped inform the reopening procedures and programming models of Canadian arts organizations throughout the pandemic.
To address the changing needs of our sector, ARTS entered a new, two-year phase in May 2023. With its newly structured approach, ARTS continues to offer insights into audience behaviours and attitudes on a quarterly basis, with each quarter focusing on a specific topic area. Winter focuses on marketing, spring on sales, summer on public perceptions and engagement, and fall on fundraising. Read more.
Partners
Arts Response Tracking Survey (ARTS):



ARTS Supporting Partners:

Speaker Series Presenting Partner:

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