Arts and Economic Prosperity Study Press Release

State Arts Council Slated to Study Economic Impact of Spending by Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations across North Carolina

12/22/2010

The North Carolina Arts Council announced today that it will participate in a national research study, Arts & Economic Prosperity IV, that will evaluate the impact spending by nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences have on local economies.

The study is being conducted by Americans for the Arts, America's leading nonprofit arts organization for advancing the arts.

The N.C. Arts Council is one of 200 partners across the United States that will facilitate gathering detailed economic and event attendance data from nonprofit arts and cultural organizations throughout the state.

Additionally, the N.C. Arts Council will collaborate with more than 15 independently operated local arts councils to collect audience surveys during 2011.

Arts & Economic Prosperity IV will allow us to evaluate the impact of the recession on the employment and government revenues that are generated by the nonprofit arts industry. We expect that the findings will demonstrate that the arts remain a formidable industry in spite of our country's recent economic challenges.

"Participating in the Arts & Economic Prosperity study will provide another way for us to demonstrate that the arts create jobs and stimulate economies across North Carolina," said Linda A. Carlisle, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. "A vibrant arts and culture industry helps local businesses thrive."

Customized findings for N.C. will demonstrate the impact of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences on the economy. Specifically, the study's results will include:

• The total dollars spent by nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
• The total dollars spent by audiences as a direct result of their attendance at arts and culture events.
• The number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by arts spending.
• The amount of resident, household income -- including salaries and wages -- generated by arts spending.
• The amount of local and state government tax revenues generated by arts spending.

According to Americans for the Arts' most recent national study, the national nonprofit arts industry generated 5.7 million jobs and $166.2 billion in total economic activity during 2005, resulting in $29.6 billion in federal, state and local government revenues. The $166.2 billion total included $63.1 billion in spending by arts organizations and $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences on items such as meals, local transportation and overnight lodging. Complete details about the 2005 study are available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.

The Arts & Economic Prosperity IV study is supported by The Ruth Lilly Fund of Americans for the Arts. In addition, Americans for the Arts' local and statewide project partners are contributing both time and financial support to the study.

About the North Carolina Arts Council

The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina The Creative State where a robust arts industry produces a creative economy, vibrant communities, children prepared for the 21st century and lives filled with discovery and learning. The Arts Council accomplishes this in partnership with artists and arts organizations, other organizations that use the arts to make their communities stronger and North Carolinians—young and old—who enjoy and participate in the arts. For more information visit www.ncarts.org.

The N.C. Arts Council is a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities and the vision to harness the state's cultural resources to build North Carolina's social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available at www.ncculture.com.