<P>As part of the activities marking the 25th Anniversary of the Ontario Arts Council in 1988, a census of arts activities occurring on a single day was conducted among non-profit professional arts organizations in Ontario, most of them clients of OAC.</P>
<P>The aim of the Ontario Arts Census was to produce a report showing the variety, distribution, financial magnitude, employment and volunteer activity of arts organizations on a given day. The result is a snapshot of the non-profit professional arts activity of responding organizations on that day. Thursday, October 13, 1988 was chosen as Ontario Arts Census Day, an autumn date being within the activity cycle of most arts disciplines, and Thursday falling between the relative inactivity of the beginning of the week and the heightened activity of the weekend. Questionnaires were mailed to 1,250 arts organizations compiled principally from client lists in various OAC offices. The questionnaire consisted of a seven page response form, with the first page asking for comparable information from all organizations and each of the next six focusing on one of six different areas of arts activity: performing, exhibiting; book publishing and film/video producing; periodicals; training; and service organizations. Touring was treated as a separate category with an additional questionnaire. (p. 1-2)</P>
<P>The Ontario Arts Census Day study provides a rich snapshot of a day in the non-profit professional arts sector in Ontario. The most striking finding of the report is the wealth of arts activity occurring outside Metropolitan Toronto, with almost two-thirds of responding organizations located outside Metro Toronto in 164 different communities.</P>
<P>At the same time, Metropolitan Toronto was clearly predominant with respect to number of employees and number of volunteers active on the day of the study, as well as with size of payroll. Responding organizations in Metro Toronto represented 53% of the total employees reported, 63% of the total payroll and 38% of the volunteers. Equally striking is the variety of arts activities reported, including: public performances and exhibitions which together attracted more than 36,000 persons on October 13, 1988; a high volume of book and periodical publishing activities (over 760 books and articles in preparation); training; and both special and on-going activities of arts service organizations.</P>
<P>The economic impact of this activity was considerable, with the total paid admissions at reported performances exceeding $250,000 and the reported payroll for almost 7,000 employees totalling more than $677,000 (one day totals). The participation on a single day of almost 9,000 unpaid volunteers, many of them in smaller towns and villages, is noteworthy. (from Highlights.)</P>
<P>CONTENTS<BR>Introduction. <BR>Methodology. <BR>Regional distribution of responding organizations. <BR>Responding organizations by primary activity. <BR>Primary activity of responding organizations by region. <BR>Public performances reported by region. <BR>Public exhibitions reported by region. <BR>Comparison of performances and exhibitions reported by region. <BR>Book and periodical publishing activity reported. <BR>Book and periodical publishing activity reported by region. <BR>Other primary activities reported. <BR>Additional activities reported. <BR>Employees, payroll and volunteers reported by primary activity. <BR>Employees reported by region and primary activity. <BR>Payroll reported by region and primary activity. <BR>Volunteers reported by region and primary activity. <BR>Comparison of employees and volunteers reported by region. <BR>Employees, payroll and volunteers: Franco-Ontarian and Arts Education school-touring organizations. <BR>Payroll reported by size of organization. <BR>Accommodations arrangements reported. <BR>List of communities. <BR>Acknowledgments.</P>