Advocacy for the arts is one of the primary missions of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.Our goal is to help ensure that every citizen in our community has access to arts and culture as a part of their everyday life. One of the most important tools that we can have to seek funding and support for the arts is clear, factual knowledge about what the real impact of arts and culture is on our local and national economy.

In 2016, the Alliance will lead all of the arts and cultural organizations in Sarasota County in conducting a comprehensive study measuring the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences. The research study is being conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s nonprofit organization advancing the arts and arts education. It is the fifth study over the past 20 years to measure the impact of arts spending on local jobs, income paid to local residents, and revenue generated to local and state governments.

As one of nearly 300 study partners across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, the Arts and Cultural Alliance will collect detailed financial data about our local nonprofit arts and culture organizations such as our theater and dance companies, museums, festivals and arts education organizations. Many people do not think of nonprofit arts organizations as businesses but this study will make clear that the arts are a formidable industry in our community—employing people locally, purchasing goods and services from local merchants, and helping to drive tourism and economic development.”

The Alliance will also collect surveys from attendees at arts events using a short, anonymous questionnaire that asks how much money they spent on items such as meals, parking and transportation, and retail shopping specifically as a result of attending the event. Previous studies have shown that the average attendee spends $24.60 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission. Those studies have also shown that, on average, 32 percent of arts attendees travel from outside the county in which the arts event took place, and that those cultural tourists typically spend nearly $40 per person—generating important revenue for local businesses and demonstrating how the arts drive revenue for other businesses in the community. 

Surveys will be collected throughout the calendar year 2016. The results of the study will be released in June of 2017.

This study will show that when we support the arts in Sarasota County, we are making an investment in an industry, one that supports jobs and generates government revenue, and is the cornerstone of tourism. We are excited to announce that our partners in Manatee County will also be participating in this year’s study. The Manatee study will be led by Realize Bradenton under the leadership of their executive director, Johnette Isham. For the first time, we will be able to produce a regional report that will show the impact of the arts on our combined economies.

According to Americans for the Arts’ most recent national study, the nonprofit arts industry generated $135.2 billion in total economic activity and supported 4.1 million full-time equivalent jobs during 2010, resulting in $22.3 billion in federal, state and local government revenues. The $135.2 billion total included $61.1 billion in spending by arts organizations and $74.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences on items such as meals, local transportation and overnight lodging. Complete details about the fiscal year 2010 study are available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.

Jim Shirley is the executive director for the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.