Arts Vibrancy & What It Can Do for You
A dive into the value of the arts & culture sector, funding trends, and how the arts vibrancy index can help your community.
Photo by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash
Photo by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash
Photo by Samantha Weisburg on Unsplash
Photo by Samantha Weisburg on Unsplash
Photo by Breakreate on Unsplash
Photo by Breakreate on Unsplash
Photo by Kobe Subramaniam on Unsplash
Photo by Kobe Subramaniam on Unsplash
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Photo by Will Pantaleo on Unsplash
Photo by Will Pantaleo on Unsplash
In 2022, the non-profit arts industry generated...
$151.7 billion
...in economic activity.
According to the 2023 AEP6 study, this includes $73.3 billion in spending by arts and culture organizations and and $78.4 billion in spending by their audiences related to events. The industry supported over 2.6 million jobs with $101 billion generated in personal income. The industry also generated $29.1 billion tax revenue for local, state, and federal governments.1
- “Arts & Economic Prosperity 6.” Americans for the Arts, October 16, 2023, https://aep6.americansforthearts.org/resources/media/user/1696872054-AEP6_National_Findings_Full_Report-Proof_final-web.pdf.
Public Funding Trends in the Arts & Culture Sector
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the largest public funder for the sector.1 Starting from a budget of almost $3 million, the NEA was appropriated $207 million in 2023 by the U.S. federal government.2 This represents the highest appropriate the NEA has received in its 57-year history, and more that 70 times larger than their initial appropriation in 1966.
The same data, however, looked at from a different perspective gives us insight into what the appropriation means for the sector. The growth rate of the appropriation, measured in percent change, has decreased significantly and has had little variation in the most recent years, meaning that the appropriation has only increased incrementally.
- “About,” National Endowment for the Arts, 2023, https://www.arts.gov/about.
- “National Endowment for the Arts Appropriations History,” National Endowment for the Arts, 2023, https://www.arts.gov/about/appropriations-history.
Keeping in mind that the percent change trend line of the NEA's appropriation, let's look at the growth trends of the arts & culture industry in terms of real value added to the U.S. GDP.
This reflects initial effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This 14% statistic represents the growth of the Arts & Culture Industry's economic activity in just ONE year.
The arts need your help to increase public funding.
Learn more with three steps you can take today!
Discover:
The intersection of the arts
You can use this tool from Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to learn more about the intersectionality of the arts to educate your local decision-makers and encourage more policy that uplifts your art community.
Find out:
How vibrant is your community?
How does your county compare with the top 40 arts vibrant communities in the U.S.? The interactive map from SMU DataArts gives you a detailed breakdown of your county's rank.
Call:
Talk to the people in charge!
We don't know what we don't know, so educate your local decision-makers about why the arts matter to you and your community, and how you want your tax dollars to make a difference.
References
- “Arts & Economic Prosperity 6.” Americans for the Arts, October 16, 2023. https://aep6.americansforthearts.org/resources/media/user/1696872054-AEP6_National_Findings_Full_Report-Proof_final-web.pdf.
- Bowley, Graham. “Trump Tried to End Federal Arts Funding. Instead, It Grew.” The New York Times, January 15, 2021, sec. Arts. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/arts/trump-arts-nea-funding.html.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis. “Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2021 | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA),” August 4, 2023. https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/arts-and-cultural-production-satellite-account-us-and-states-2021.
- Cohen, Randy. “10 Reasons to Support the Arts in 2021.” Americans for the Arts, March 15, 2021. https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-and-data/legislation-policy/naappd/10-reasons-to-support-the-arts-in-2021.
- Images selected from Unsplash
- McClimon, Timothy J. “The Economic Impact Of Local Arts And Culture Businesses.” Forbes, October 16, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/timothyjmcclimon/2023/10/16/the-economic-impact-of-local-arts-and-culture-businesses/?sh=119bbbf225aa.
- National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. “Creative Economy State Profiles,” 2021. https://nasaa-arts.org/nasaa_research/creative-economy-state-profiles/.
- National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. “Urge House Not to Reduce NEA FY2024 Funding,” April 4, 2023. https://nasaa-arts.org/newsletter/2023-nasaa-notes-issues/april-2023-nasaa-notes/urge-house-not-to-reduce-fy2024-nea-funding/.
- National Endowment for the Arts. “About,” 2023. https://www.arts.gov/about.
- National Endowment for the Arts. “National Endowment for the Arts Appropriations History,” 2023. https://www.arts.gov/about/appropriations-history.
- National Endowment for the Arts. “New Data Show Economic Activity of the U.S. Arts & Cultural Sector in 2021,” March 15, 2023. https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2023/new-data-show-economic-activity-us-arts-cultural-sector-2021.
- Novak-Leonard, Jennifer, and Alan S. Brown. Beyond Attendance: A Multi-modal Understanding of Arts Participation (Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts, 2011), 14. https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/2008-SPPA-BeyondAttendance.pdf. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- Office of the New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “Culture Shock: The Importance of National Arts Funding to New York City’s Cultural Landscape,” March 9, 2017. https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/culture-shock-the-importance-of-national-arts-funding-to-new-york-citys-cultural-landscape/.
- Rosewall, Ellen. Arts Management: Uniting Arts and Audiences in the 21st Century, 2nd ed. New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 2022.
- SMU DataArts. “Our Methodology,” October 26, 2023. https://culturaldata.org/arts-vibrancy-2023/methodology/.
- SMU DataArts. “SMU DataArts Releases 8th Annual List of Most Arts-Vibrant Communities in the U.S.. DataArts,” October 26, 2023. https://culturaldata.org/about/press-releases/smu-dataarts-releases-8th-annual-list-of-most-arts-vibrant-communities-in-the-us/.
- SMU DataArts. “The Top 20 Arts-Vibrant Large Communities, 2020. DataArts,” October 26, 2023. https://culturaldata.org/arts-vibrancy-2020/top-20-large-communities/.
- SMU DataArts. “The Top 40 Most Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2023. DataArts,” October 26, 2023. https://culturaldata.org/arts-vibrancy-2023/the-top-40-list/.
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