Arts Accessibility to Major Museums and Cultural/Ethnic Institutions in Los Angeles: Can School Tours Overcome Neighborhood Disparities?

Major arts and cultural institutions have expanded their exhibits and programs to reflect society's growing diversity, but we know little about potential neighborhood disparities in arts participation within metropolitan areas and how it varies across institutions and different forms of engagement. Unlike membership, which tends to be ‘market’ driven, museum school tour programs often target underserved schools to engage diverse communities. We provide the first assessment to our knowledge of whether school tours provide a counterweight to more expensive forms of participation and whether ethnic-oriented institutions have been able to overcome the distance that often separates disadvantaged communities from institutions. Our analysis of participation rates for five major institutions in Los Angeles, California, indicates that, despite progress, barriers persist. Although affluent areas provide an important membership base, school tours offer a valuable tool for attracting traditional and ethnic-specific audiences and communities. The results support greater integration of city and cultural planning and suggest that institutions should redouble efforts to overcome sociocultural and geographic barriers.