Monday, March 24, 2025, 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
BRIC, 647 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
How can we ensure that data serves artists and communities rather than becoming just another administrative burden? How can open data amplify voices that are too often left out of the conversation?
Data is everywhere—whether we realize it or not, it shapes decisions about who gets funding, which projects are prioritized, and whose work gains visibility in the arts and culture sector. From grant applications and audience demographics to economic impact reports and cultural plans, data plays a central role in how the arts are valued, funded, and sustained.
Yet too often, data collection is designed to meet the needs of funders and policymakers rather than the artists and cultural workers doing the work. The numbers that define our sector fail to reflect its full diversity, leaving smaller and BIPOC-led organizations struggling to fit into rigid frameworks that overlook the depth and nuance of their impact.
Open data—the practice of making datasets publicly accessible to increase transparency, accessibility, and innovation—has the potential to create a more equitable and informed arts ecosystem. However, without critical oversight, it can just as easily reinforce existing inequities rather than dismantle them.
If you’re an artist, cultural worker, organizer, advocate, funder, or policymaker concerned about how data shapes (or distorts) the narrative of our sector, join us for a candid panel discussion on the state of open data in NYC’s arts and culture sector. We’ll unpack the realities of data collection and lay the groundwork for a collaborative effort to develop an Open Data Ecosystem that truly reflects the power and diversity of our cultural communities.
This event will feature a presentation of a recent study by the Culture & Arts Policy Institute, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of leveraging open data to strengthen the cultural sector, enhance data literacy, and promote best practices across the city.
Co-presented with BRIC, this program is part of NYC Open Data Week, an annual festival of community-driven events that brings New Yorkers together to share and learn about publicly available data.
