[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2150-2151]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00362]
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NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES
National Endowment for the Arts
Subject 30-Day Notice for the ``USArtists International Program
Information Collection''
AGENCY: National Endowment for the Arts, National Foundation on the
Arts and the Humanities.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data
can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents
can be properly assessed. Currently, the NEA is soliciting comments
concerning the proposed information collection for the Survey of
American Artists Participating in International Exchanges. Copies of
this ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by
visiting www.Reginfo.gov.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
address section below within 30 days from the date of this publication
in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the National Endowment
for the Arts, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington,
DC 20503 202/395-7316, within 30 days from the date of this publication
in the Federal Register.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NEA is particularly interested in
comments which:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information including the validity
of the methodology and assumptions used;
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
Agency: National Endowment for the Arts.
Title: Survey of American Artists Participating in International
Exchanges.
OMB Number: New.
Frequency: One-Time Pilot Test and Annual Web Survey.
Affected Public: Artists with travel sponsored by the USArtists
International program.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 414 (189 pilot test respondents +
75 survey respondents per year).
Total Burden Hours: 70.38 (32.13 in pilot test + 12.75 per survey
year).
Total annualized capital/startup costs: 0.
Total annual costs (operating/maintaining systems or purchasing
services): $9,879.15.
The planned data collection is a new information collection
request, and the data to be collected are not available elsewhere
unless obtained through this information collection. A web-based survey
of the USAI program grantees is planned once annually for March 2021,
March 2022, and March 2023. A pilot test of the web survey is planned
for March 2020, contingent upon OMB approval. Knowledge gained through
this information collection will enable the Arts Endowment to collect
evidence on the impact of the USAI program on U.S. artists' careers.
Currently, the Arts Endowment does not collect any information from
USAI grantees related to the benefits of the program on their careers.
USAI is an international artist exchange program administered by
the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. The Arts Endowment is the lead funder
of the program and supports the program through a cooperative agreement
with Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Additional supporting partners
include the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation which support artists from the Chicago area,
and the Trust for Mutual Understanding and the Howard Gilman Foundation
which support New York City-based organizations. It is the only
national initiative in the United States solely devoted to supporting
performances by American artists at important international cultural
festivals and arts marketplaces abroad and is the largest of the Arts
Endowment efforts supporting artists' performances abroad. USAI
provides grants of up to $15,000 towards the support of artist fees,
travel, accommodations, per diem, shipping, and visa preparation for
U.S. artists. USAI provides grants to ensembles and individual
performers in dance, music, and theatre.
Based on the Arts Endowment's FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan (approved
by OMB), the Arts Endowment decided to develop a survey of U.S. artists
participating in international exchange programs to support performance
reporting that shows ``Arts Endowment-supported international exchanges
have a demonstrable benefit on the careers of participating American
artists'' (performance goal 3.3.3) and ``the percentage of American
artists that report benefits of their participation in Arts Endowment-
supported international exchanges'' (performance indicator 3.3.3.1).
The survey supports the agency's evidence-building efforts, to better
understand outcomes associated with its investments. On page 26 of the
Strategic Plan, the study is described as a specific evidence-building
initiative supporting Strategic Objective 3.3:
The NEA intends to examine the impacts of these international
exchanges on the careers of U.S. artists and on U.S. audiences who
experience works originating from foreign artists as part of its
evidence-building efforts. As an initial step, the NEA is investigating
whether to plan a survey of U.S. artists participating in international
exchanges with the goal of developing a richer understanding of the
program's short- and longer-term impacts on their careers.
The Arts Endowment's Office of International Activities and Office
of Research & Analysis decided to survey artist grantees of the USAI
program because it is the largest of the Arts Endowment's efforts to
support artists' travel and performances abroad and can provide the
largest sample of artists to survey. The questions in the survey will
capture five constructs related to artists' careers, including
professional opportunities, professional networks, professional skills
and learning, reputations, and creativity.
This request is for a conditional clearance to conduct pilot
testing of a web survey and upon OMB receiving the results of the pilot
study, a potential full clearance to conduct an annual survey of past
USAI program participants once the survey has been piloted.
Dated: January 8, 2020.
Gregory Gendron,
Director of Administrative Services, National Endowment for the Arts.
[FR Doc. 2020-00362 Filed 1-13-20; 8:45 am]
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