New Data Release: Can Public Art Reduce Youth Firearm Injury? Evidence from Detroit (2022–2025)
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NADAC is pleased to announce the release of new data collected as part of the former NEA Research Lab initiative in Detroit, Michigan. The study explores how engagement with public art located in residential areas may strengthen community factors that protect youth from firearm violence and help reduce youth firearm injury among residents in those communities. These data include information on public art locations in Detroit, descriptions of the artworks, and details on how they were commissioned, created, and preserved. The public-use dataset is freely available for download from the study homepage on the NADAC website, and the restricted-use dataset is available via secure download to approved researchers.
NOTE: Crime data from the Michigan State Police used in the study’s preliminary pilot findings are not publicly available and are not included in this release.
Visit the Study Homepage to Learn More
Applying for Access to Restricted-Use Data
Researchers interested in accessing the restricted-use data can apply for access on the NADAC website. To submit an online application, click the “Access Restricted Data” button on the study homepage. The application process requires an institutional signature on a restricted data use agreement, a data security plan, and an IRB approval or exemption.
Apply for Access to Restricted Data
About the Study
This transdisciplinary study examined how the location, production, and community impact of public art in Detroit relate to residents’ safety, with a particular focus on firearm injury prevention, and which art installation characteristics may be associated with greater reductions in firearm incidents. Preliminary pilot findings, using Michigan State Police crime data (not publicly available), suggest that residential areas with public art may experience fewer firearm-related police incidents and other violent crime. Additional research is needed to confirm these patterns, understand why they occur, and translate findings into policy briefs and “best practices” to support community-engaged public art efforts to reduce firearm violence.
About NADAC
The National Archive of Data on Arts and Culture (NADAC) is a repository that facilitates research on arts and culture by acquiring data, particularly those funded by federal agencies and other organizations, and sharing those data with researchers, policymakers, people in the arts and culture field, and the general public. It is one of several topical archives hosted by ICPSR, the largest social science data archive in the world and part of the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, NADAC provides arts-related data and related resources completely free of charge. Sign up to receive notifications about NADAC’s data releases.