Arts & Culture
Share Your Voice in the Greater Lehigh Valley Arts & Culture Patron Survey
From theater stages to open-air murals, world-class festivals to gallery strolls and indie cinemas, the Lehigh Valley is alive with cultural energy.
The arts are all around us—enhancing community life, sparking conversation, and shaping the region’s identity. Now there’s an opportunity for everyone to help shape its future. The Greater Lehigh Valley Arts & Culture Patron Survey is a collaborative research effort designed to better understand how people across the Valley engage with the arts, and how to ensure these experiences are accessible, equitable, and responsive to the communities they serve.
Why Your Input Matters
Arts and culture are essential. They drive tourism, support local economies, and have proven health benefits. But access isn’t equal. The survey explores questions like: What draws you to a performance or exhibit? What makes it harder to attend? How far do you travel for cultural events? Do you feel represented in the spaces you visit?
“This survey is about listening,” says Marta Kepka, Director of Arts Marketing at Lafayette College and a co-lead on the project. “It’s about values, access, representation, and possibility. The goal is to gather real, actionable data that organizations across the Valley can use to build more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable programming.”
The data will help organizations of all sizes inform programming, improve outreach, reach more diverse communities, and guide policy decisions that support regional needs. Whether you’re a devoted arts supporter, an occasional event-goer, or a business invested in cultural vitality, your voice can make a difference.
A Community-Driven Effort
Spearheaded by The Arts at Lafayette and the Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance (LVACA), the survey began as a Lafayette initiative to better understand its own audiences. As its broader potential became clear, it expanded into a regional collaboration.
Lafayette continues to provide technical and logistical support, while LVACA leads outreach and coordination—making the survey a shared tool for organizations, artists, municipalities, and community leaders across the Lehigh Valley.
“LVACA’s role is to connect the dots,” says Meg Mikovits, LVACA’s Assistant Managing Director and Research Coordinator, and a co-lead on the project. “This isn’t about one organization gathering data. It’s about the region coming together to understand how the arts are experienced and how we can do better.”
The Power of Participation
This project is rooted in possibility. Its success depends on people like you—both as participants and as partners who can help spread the word. The more voices it captures, the greater the impact.
Community partners are invited to help distribute the survey. Whether you’re a coffee shop with a bulletin board, a yoga studio that features local artists, or a museum with a newsletter, your platform can amplify this effort. Ready-to-use promotional materials—including sample text, graphics, and QR codes—are available to make sharing easy.
Whether you’re attending, creating, supporting, or sharing, your role matters.
Take the survey or become a partner at: lvaca.org/research/lv-arts-culture-survey
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