We’ve always known the Midwest is brimming with creativity, and now there’s fresh data to back it up.
A new national study by SMU DataArts named six Midwestern communities among the Top 40 Most Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2024, recognizing places where the arts are thriving thanks to strong local investment, engaged audiences, and a high concentration of creative activity.
These rankings aren’t just about size or star power. SMU DataArts evaluates communities using 13 indicators of arts vibrancy, including supply, demand, and public funding, adjusted for population and cost of living.
Here’s how the Midwest stacked up:
| Ranking | Community Size | Community, As Listed |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Large Communities | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
| 5 | Medium Communities | Kalamazoo-Portage, MI |
| 10 | Medium Communities | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 11 | Large Communities | Chicago-Naperville-Evanston, IL |
| 14 | Large Communities | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI |
| 19 | Large Communities | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN |
We’re proud to see so many Midwestern communities recognized, and we’ve been lucky to tell stories from many of these vibrant places. Dive into a few of our favorites!
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (Ranked 5th in Large Communities)
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Making the Most of a Frozen Lake: Minnesota’s Art Shanty Projects
By Jay Gabler
Frozen lakes dotted with ice fishing shanties are a familiar sight during Midwest winters. In 2004, two Minnesota artists decided to use the milieu as a jumping-off point for creativity and community. Since then, the Art Shanty Projects have been coming to terms with climate change.
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Step Into Art: Midwest Cities Turn Sidewalk Potholes into Poetry
By Frankie (Amy) Felegy
A simple premise—poems stamped in wet concrete—is leaving a lasting impression across Midwest cities.
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A Second Home: Fanana Banana and Soomaal House
By Abdi Mohamed
They wanted to create spaces for their communities to gather. So, instead of waiting for someone else, they decided to build it themselves.
Chicago, IL (Ranked 11 in Large Communities)
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Make a Zine, Take Part in a 95-Year-Old Midwest Movement
By Frankie (Amy) Felegy
The independently published mini-magazines have time-hallowed roots in Illinois. Meet the zinesters keeping the art form alive and well.
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Chicago’s Hidden History of Puppetry
By Kimzyn Campbell
In 1912, in Chicago’s industrial hub by Lake Michigan, marionette mermaids performed Shakespeare’s works. 100 years later, puppets are still being made and performing there.
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Meet Pooja Pittie: Art Helped Her Navigate a Life-Changing Diagnosis
By Kate Mothes
Chicago artist Pooja Pittie on exploring the bodymind, disability, and building her practice in the Midwest.
Milwaukee, WI (Ranked 14 in Large Cities)
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Meet Harmony Hill, the Milwaukee Artist Strengthening the Native Arts Community
By Bradley Perich and Lydia Moran
At the start of Covid lockdown, Harmony Hill felt called to support her community of Native artists in Milwaukee. Since then, she’s built a nonprofit – Red Magic – that hosts festivals and provides resources for all Native artists. Through it all, she’s upending colonial narratives about what art is.
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Grilled Cheese Grant: Buy a Sandwich, Help an Artist
By Frankie (Amy) Felegy
Wisconsin has some of the lowest per-capita funding for the arts. A Milwaukee solution? A cheesy, carby community meal to fund grants for emerging artists.
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Understanding Milwaukee History Through a Miniature House
By Alana Horton
An art project by Mitchell Street Arts captures Milwaukee’s immigration history in the form of a miniature home.
Ann Arbor, MI (Ranked 10 in Medium Cities)
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Micro Moments of Magic is Counting Connections in Ann Arbor
By Alana Horton
In an alleyway in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor, Micro Moments of Magic is spreading joy, one tally mark at a time.
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Meet Gean Vincent Almendras, a Michigan Teacher-Practitioner of Traditional Philippine Music
By Jennifer Vosters
The Ann Arbor-based artist and scholar builds bridges between Filipino diasporic and indigenous communities through music.
You can check out the full Art Vibrancy 2024 report on the SMU DataArts website.