Study: The arts spur local economy, create jobs

Supporting the arts is economic development. The arts create jobs, bring in money, and attract people and visitors. The arts make a community strong. Those were the top messages delivered by Randy Cohen, vice president of Research for Americans for the Arts, during a breakfast meeting Thursday, May 16, at the Figge Art Museum in […]

Supporting the arts is economic development. The arts create jobs, bring in money, and attract people and visitors. The arts make a community strong. Those were the top messages delivered by Randy Cohen, vice president of Research for Americans for the Arts, during a breakfast meeting Thursday, May 16, at the Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport.

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Mr. Cohen spoke to more than 50 Quad Cities residents about the key findings from a 2022 national study called Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 that looked at the economic impact of the arts on 373 communities and regions across the country. Quad City Arts joined the study on behalf of the local region. (That entire study and its findings can be found here.) Most of Thursday’s AccelerateVQC meeting centered around the local findings from the study. During the meeting, leaders with Visit Quad Cities and Quad City Arts said they seek to position the Quad Cities as a vibrant destination for both art enthusiasts and cultural travelers, showcasing innovative approaches to cultural tourism and contemporary creativity.  “The foundation of the QC’s creative energy relies on diverse cultural offerings and products supported by investments in local artists and the creative economy,” said Dave Herrell, Visit Quad Cities president and CEO. “This AccelerateVQC event serves as an opportunity to celebrate the vibrant arts scene in our community and recognize its significant contributions to our economic and social landscape. We believe the Quad Cities is the creative capital of the Midwest.”  That creativity – and its economic impacts – were the main points of Mr. Cohen’s presentation. Art not only helps a community’s quality of life, but also brings in jobs, money, tourists and residents. “The bottom line is –  art is not just food for the soul, it’s also putting food on the table,” Mr. Cohen said. According to the 2022 study, some of the economic impacts of the arts in the Quad Cities and surrounding area include:

• 712 local jobs are supported by the arts.
• The arts attracted $29 million in QC spending. That breaks down to $16.3 million by organizations and $12.8 million from audiences attending events.
• Local residents who went to local arts events spent, on average, $23.36 per event. Non-local residents spent $42.71 per event.
• On the state level, in 2022, the arts also have a major impact on the economy. In Iowa, the arts generated $5 billion and is responsible for 41,810 jobs statewide. In Illinois, the arts generated $36.1 billion and is responsible for 216,227 jobs.

Mr. Cohen spent much of his presentation giving examples of how arts helps the economy in many big and small ways. In one example, he told about a Wisconsin dairy farmer who wanted to attend an arts event in his community. In order to attend the event, he paid a person $60 to milk his cows while he was off the farm. In another example, Mr. Cohen talked about his recent trip to a museum in Washington, D.C. That trip helped several sectors of the economy, including the restaurant he visited while going to the museum, the parking garage, and ticket sales for the museum, to name just a few.  “(The arts) employs a whole range of industries across the community,” he said. He added that another big way the arts help the community is by attracting and keeping residents. During his many trips around the country, Mr. Cohen said that he often hears that  local leaders are frustrated because they say “their number one export” is educated people leaving town for other communities. Having an active, vibrant arts scene can help keep people from leaving for other and bigger communities, he added. The arts also will spur creativity, which is a quality that more business leaders are seeking. Mr. Cohen said recent studies point out that 72% of business leaders say that creativity is a vital quality when they hire employees.  One of the ways they judge a person’s level of creativity is by looking to see if they have studied the arts in school. The study of arts has been vital in spurring success in many different fields. During his presentation, Mr. Cohen told the story of Thomas Sudhof, the German-American biochemist, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2013. When Mr. Sudhof was asked about who influenced him the most in his life, his response was: “I owe it all to my bassoon teacher.” It was that teacher who helped him achieve success in life by teaching him these lessons: drive for excellence, visual thinking, pattern recognition, problem solving and perseverance. In addition to inspirational stories, the AccelerateVQC meeting also featured a call to action to the audience. Some audience members pointed out that there continues to be a battle to get political leaders to spend money on the arts. One person in the audience called state-level spending on the arts as “flat” over the past few years. Mr. Cohen advised attendees to look over a fact sheet called “10 Reasons to Support the Arts in the Quad Cities Region in 2024” that was presented on Thursday. (To read that fact sheet, visit here.) He also encouraged them to get to know the reasons presented in the sheet and present those ideas to political, community and business leaders when talking about funding for the arts. A couple of the reasons listed include:

• Arts unify communities: 72% of Americans believe the arts unify our communities regardless of age, race and ethnicity, and 73% agree that the arts help people understand other cultures better.
• Arts strengthen the economy: The nation’s arts and culture sector – non-profit, commercial, education – is a $1.1 trillion industry that supports 5.2 million jobs. That is 4.3% of the nation’s economy.
• Arts strengthen mental health:  The arts are an effective resource in reducing depression and anxiety, and increasing life satisfaction. Just 30 minutes of active arts activities daily can combat the ill effects of isolation and loneliness.

“When you invest in the arts, you are helping education and business,” Mr. Cohen added.