Douglas, Houston, and Ong Paul. “Arts Accessibility to Major Museums and Cultural/ethnic Institutions in Los Angeles: Can School Tours Overcome Neighborhood Disparities?” Environment and Planning A 45 (2013): 728 – 748. Print.

Source: Metro.net

Douglas Huston of the Department of Planning, Policy and Design, School of Social Ecology, at the University of California and Paul Ong of Department of Urban Planning, School of Public Affairs, at the University of California Los Angeles discuss “arts participation within metropolitan areas and how it varies across institutions and different forms of engagement ” (728) in their article “Arts Accessibility to Major Museums and Cultural/ ethical Institutions in Los Angeles: Can School Tours Overcome Neighborhood Disparities?”. They propose ” sociocultural distance separates disadvantaged communities from arts and cultural institutions, given that many have historically been dominated by Eurocentric perspectives and are often perceived as highbrow and exclusive”(729). They cite research that states “individuals who are more affluent, have higher educational attainment, and/or who are White are more likely to attend an arts or cultural institution or event, watch or listen to arts or culture through media, or participate in a hands-on arts activity” (730).  The 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts found “whites nationwide were more likely to have attended an art museum” (730). In their article, Huston and Ong’s purpose is to “suggest that institutions should redouble efforts to overcome sociocultural and geographic barriers” (728). This article is useful because it addresses the accessibly of art museums based on culture and geographic location.