contextin' art, um, business

"When we say that the arts mean business, that's not
just a slogan; it's the truth."

New Report Finds Arts Industry Generates $134 Billion
in Economic Activity Annually

According to a report released by Americans for the
Arts, a nonprofit arts research organization
headquartered in Washington, D.C., the nation's
nonprofit arts industry produces $134 billion in
economic activity annually.

The report, Arts & Economic Prosperity: The Economic
Impact of Nonprofit Arts Organizations and Their
Audiences (16 pages, PDF), found that arts groups
generate 4.85 million full-time jobs and $80.8 billion
in event-related spending, along with tax revenues
totaling $6.6 billion for local governments, $7.3
billion for state governments, and $10.5 billion for
the federal government. In addition, the report, which
was based on surveys of 3,000 nonprofit arts
organizations and 40,000 attendees at arts events in
91 cities and 33 states and the District of Columbia,
shows a 45 percent increase in spending by arts groups
since 1992, when Americans for the Arts conducted its
last survey on the subject.

"When communities invest in the arts, there is a
tendency to think that they are opting for cultural
benefits at the expense of economic benefits," said
Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the
Arts. "This study demonstrates that the arts are an
industry that generates extraordinary economic
activity, jobs, and tax revenues. When we say that the
arts mean business, that's not just a slogan; it's the
truth."

Ross, Katherine. 'Nonprofit Arts Groups Make Money.