Arts Is Big Business By Nanette Wiser
More than 150 community leaders gathered in July to discuss the positive impact of Pinellas County’s arts and cultural organizations on our lifestyle, economy, education, workforce and health. The Regional Arts Summit is the first countywide collaboration among the five arts agencies serving the creative community with information, resources and ideas.
The research and report, Arts and Economic Prosperity® 5, was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s nonprofit organization for advancing the representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for arts in America. Established in 1960, they are dedicated to every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and Creative Pinellas joined forces to focus on the economic impact of the arts for Pinellas County. The Arts Alliance conducted nearly 800 countywide audience intercept and organizational surveys throughout 2016, and examined budgets of non-profit cultural organizations for analysis by American for the Arts Economic Prosperity.
The Clearwater Arts Alliance, North Pinellas Cultural Alliance and Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts joined with the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance & Creative Pinellas to present the study’s results at the Regional Arts Summit – Maximizing the Arts Economic Impact for Pinellas County on July 21, 2017.
John Collins kicked off the meeting, welcoming guests and dignitaries, including County Commissioners Ken Welch and Karen Seel and leaders of most of the area’s museums arts organizations. Collins introduced the keynote speaker, Randy Cohen, VP of Research and Policy at Americans for the Arts, the nation’s advocacy organization for the arts.
Cohen presented the results of the Arts & Economic Prosperity Study, a key driver for raising the profile of the arts within communities and highlighting powerful economic contribution that the non-profit arts sector makes to tourism, employment and attracting young workers who want tolive in a vibrant cultural community.
The Arts Is Big Business
Only non-profit arts and cultural organizations were surveyed for this study. Surprisingly, these organizations represent $241 million industry in Pinellas County that supports 7,221 full-time equivalent jobs and generates $29.8 million in local and state government revenue.
“Too often, we think of the arts as a charity, when in fact it’s a business with income that trickles down to all sectors of business in the county,” says Cohen. “We all know it improves our quality of life, but it also improves the financial health of a community.”
Think of it this way, pointed out Cohen. He and his go on a date to the theater, spend money on a new tie his wife has purchased for him to go out, the theater tickets, gas for the car, dinner before the theater, parking and at the theater, a drink and t-shirt. That supports the businesses and also the folks that work in them—from bartender to parking valet, the printer and graphic designers who worked on the program, the banks and e-commerce folks who processed the ticket payment.
“The arts are a powerful tool that help communities thrive while educating and enriching,” said Bill Goede, Tampa Bay market president for Bank of America, an Arts Summit sponsor. “The study and the Arts Summit help quantify and disseminate the value of a thriving arts county and will be useful in ensuring that our creative industries are sustained.”
The Arts Stimulate Tourism
The arts attract tourists with spending dollars. “70% of all people that come for arts events and festivals are non-locals,” says Cohen. “When the city and county and state invest in the arts, they are investing in a product that benefits the local economy.”
Non-resident attendees spent an average of 51 percent more per person than local attendees ($42.43 vs. $28.07) as a result of their attendance to cultural events. As would be expected from a traveler, higher spending was typically found in the categories of lodging, meals, and transportation. When a community attracts cultural tourists, it harnesses significant economic rewards.
The Arts Improve Quality of Life
It’s no surprise to the community. In fact, 83% of people surveyed said the arts is good for business, and 87% said it improves the quality of life.
Here’s what you might not know.
The arts improves academic performance and strengthens the health of a community. A UCLA researcher looked at 25,000 students. For those who participated in the arts, they had a better grade point average and a better attitude towards community engagement. For lower income students, the impact of the arts on their lives showed even a higher rate of improvement, which underscores the importance of funding arts programs and education in these schools.
In healthcare, arts and music have been shown to reduce the length of hospital stays, reduced the use of pain and anxiety medications, reduced depression and improved recovery times. It could be a harpist or guitarist playing music. “Perhaps it’s not so odd that Apollo was the God of both music and healing,” quipped Cohen.
Read the Summary: https://stpeteartsalliance.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/07/FinalArt-Summit-Report-7.4.17-4.pdf