Arts & the Economy study

 By Jim Ormond

In collaboration with Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing culture in this country, ArtsWestchester has just launched Arts & Economic Prosperity IV, an extensive economic study on the impact that nonprofit arts organizations have on Westchester’s economy. ArtsWestchester will assist in the gathering and assembly of detailed economic and event attendance data from nonprofit arts and cultural organizations located throughout Westchester County. The goal is to collect surveys from at least 800 arts and culture attendees in Westchester County during 2011.

The results of the Westchester economic impact study will be placed alongside statistics about the nonprofit arts industry nationally, which this year will include 200 similar nonprofit arts organizations from across the United States.

The study’s findings will include:
•    Total dollars spent by Westchester County’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations
•    Total dollars spent by audiences as a direct result of their attendance at arts and culture events in Westchester County
•    Number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by arts spending
•    Amount of resident, household income—including salaries and wages—generated by arts spending
•    Amount of local and state government tax revenues generated by arts spending

The 2011 Arts & Economic Prosperity IV is a continuation of a 10-year study (1995-2005) that included ArtsWestchester.  The previous study (2005) found that Westchester County arts organizations contributed $119.88 million in local economic activity, supported 3,779 full-time equivalent jobs, and delivered $17.6 million in local and state government revenue.

These studies are especially important  in times of recession, says Janet T. Langsam, CEO of  ArtsWestchester, the largest, private, nonprofit arts council in New York state:
“The results of the last study were a real eye-opener. We knew that the arts had an economic impact here in Westchester. But seeing hard data demonstrating that the arts bring nearly $120 million to the local economy and supported nearly 3,800 jobs demonstrated how vital the arts industry is. Especially during times of recession, having this kind of data can help public officials at all levels make informed decisions when they are deciding on budget priorities.”

Americans for the Arts retains independent professional economists to design and monitor the study. Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch says that the study “will …evaluate the impact the recession has had on employment and government revenues that are generated by the nonprofit arts industry.”

Local nonprofit cultural organizations also envision Arts & Economic Prosperity IV as providing an accurate picture of the toll of the recent recession “We all have our own stories of how audience participation is down in the past three years,” says ArtsWestchester Deputy Director Joanne Mongelli.  However,  having a comprehensive overview  of the ways audiences are withdrawing, or still participating in the arts, can help us in terms of planning, guiding how we reach out to audiences, and how we allocate our resources. Several organizations are already participating, But we want to bring in new organizations so that we can make this survey as accurate as possible.”

Founded in 1965, ArtsWestchester funds and presents exhibits and other cultural programs, brings artists into schools and community centers and builds audiences through marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neoclassical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into the Arts Exchange, a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community.

As part of this process, ArtsWestchester is inviting Westchester County-based cultural organizations and residents to participate. Collecting and/or submitting data for the study is easy. Participants will fill out blind surveys about how much money they spend when visiting cultural events and attractions, and other significant  details about their event attendance.  Those wishing to participate in the study, or who would like more information, are encouraged to contact Eric Siegel, ArtsWestchester’s Program Associate for Cultural Organization Services, at  428-4220 , ext. 324 or esiegel@artswestchester.org.