DC Arts Commission Participates in National Arts & Economic Prosperity Study

February 7, 2005

Washington, DC—The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is pleased to announce its participation in Americans for the Arts’ second National Arts and Economic Prosperity Study. Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, enlisted more than 100 communities across the United States to participate in the study, which will review the economic impact of nonprofit arts organizations in each community. Americans for the Arts' economic impact studies continue to be among the most frequently cited statistics used to demonstrate the impact of the nation’s nonprofit arts industry on the local, state and national economy.
 
Americans for the Arts’ next Arts and Economic Prosperity Study will be conducted during 2006 and presented in June 2007. The District of Columbia is among more than 100 diverse communities across the country ranging in population (50,000 to 3,000,000), geography (Homer, Alaska to Miami, Florida), and type (rural to large urban). Local arts agencies—public and private organizations working to increase community access to and participation in the arts—will serve as local research partners, collecting detailed expenditure data from nonprofit arts organizations and audience members. The project economists from the Georgia Institute of Technology will customize input/output analysis models for each of the communities to provide specific and reliable economic impact data about their nonprofit arts industry.

As a local partner, DC Arts Commission will receive a detailed report describing the economic impact of spending by nonprofit arts organizations and arts audiences in Washington, DC, a series of potent advocacy tools that support the case for private-and public-sector arts funding, and a significant national and local visibility opportunity for the local arts industry.

“The arts provide the key to economic development while still being true to their fundamental purpose: to delight, to inspire, to portray, and to provoke,” stated Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “The arts are vital to our nation’s economy and this research is essential in our efforts to advance the arts in America.”

We are delighted to be a partner in this very important study of the arts,” said DC Arts Commission’s Executive Director Tony Gittens. “This research will be significant in highlighting the arts industry as a major contributor to Washington, DC’s economic well-being.”

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 40 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information can be found at the Americans for the Arts website.

For more information about Americans for the Arts or the Arts & Economic Prosperity study, email Beth Olsen, or call (212) 576-2700 ext. 243.

For more information about the role of the DC Arts Commission, email Lionell Thomas or call (202) 724-5613.