Survey to take place at Glenn Korff School of Music events

Survey to take place at Glenn Korff School of Music events

calendar icon15 Apr 2016    

LINCOLN, Neb.— The Arts Mean Business. That is the message being delivered today by The Lincoln Arts Council who announced it has joined the Arts & Economic Prosperity® 5, a national study measuring the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences. The survey will take place at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music events three times during April (Afternoon of Choirs – 17; Evenings of Dance – 22; Honors ChamberFest – 30).

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 in 20 years (and the third study for Lincoln) 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 Lincoln Arts Council 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.

“A community infused with arts and culture is healthy and vibrant,” said Barbara Bartle, President of the Lincoln Community Foundation and tri-chair of Prosper Lincoln. "The arts enrich Lincoln's economic, social and educational fabric. It’s vital to gather information from those experiencing our arts programs. Statistics from these surveys will provide value as Prosper Lincoln works to Lift Lincoln Higher. The knowledge will be useful for economic development, including business start-ups and expansions."

The Lincoln Arts Council will 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 calendar year 2016. The results of the study will be released in June of 2017. Complete details about the fiscal year 2010 study are available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.

“Our Arts & Economic Prosperity series demonstrates that the arts are an economic and employment powerhouse both locally and across the nation,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Leaders who care about community and economic vitality can feel good about choosing to invest in the arts. Nationally as well as locally, the arts mean business.”

Americans for the Arts’ Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study is supported by The Ruth Lilly Fund of Americans for the Arts. In addition, Americans for the Arts’ local and statewide study partners are contributing both time and a cost-sharing fee support to the study. For a full list of the nearly 300 Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study partners, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org/AEP5Partners.

For more information about the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 surveys, please contact Dyana Anderson at Dyana@artscene.org or 402-430-7448. Contact the Lincoln Arts Council at 402-434-2787 or online at artscene.org.