Mark Fraire
Wild Rumpus Circus students and director Marcia Miquelon collect surveys this summer at La Fête De Marquette.
Every summer my wife and I visit Chicago overnight to see improv comedy at The Second City. Nearly 90% of our expenses — gas, toll booths, souvenirs, meals, parking, hotel and tips — have no financial return to the comedy troupe or venue. Yet the performance is the reason we end up spending money at other establishments.
This phenomenon is not unique to Chicago or to us. Think about it: How often do you dine out before a concert at the Barrymore Theatre or Overture Center? Or grab a drink after? Maybe you let Union Cab do the driving?
The arts help drive the local economy and we have the numbers to prove it.
Americans for the Arts recently released the findings of its 2022 comprehensive arts and economic impact study. The group conducts the survey every five years to “gauge the economic impact (on employment, government revenue, and household income) of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and the event-related spending by their audiences.”
Nationally, the report found that the nonprofit arts and culture industry produced $151.7 billion in economic activity, supporting 2.6 million jobs, generating $29.1 billion in government revenue and providing $101 billion in personal income to residents. In Wisconsin, the industry generated $933.3 million in economic activity for the state.
To help generate local data, Dane Arts collected 993 in-person surveys at arts venues and festivals, asking people how much money they spent on the event, and why; we also collected socioeconomic data. We reached out as well to 245 nonprofit arts organizations to collect their financial and attendance data and received 91 surveys back. Since fewer than half of the groups responded, the true economic impact is likely higher than reported.
According to the report’s findings, the arts in Dane County generated $346.7 million in economic activity during 2022. That includes $125.8 million in spending by arts and culture organizations for such things as operations, materials, facility and labor, and $220.8 million in event-related expenditures by audiences, including expenses from non-arts related costs. That economic activity supported 4,677 jobs, provided $189.9 million in salaries to residents, and generated $60.4 million in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments.
The average Dane County resident who attends a local cultural arts event spends more than $30 on costs on top of the purchased ticket. A resident outside of Dane County spends nearly $82 per event, and more if they have overnight lodging.
Is there any doubt that the arts help drive our local economy?
People move to Dane County for three main reasons: the lakes (while we still have them), the parks and the cultural arts. People favor neighborhoods where the arts are thriving. Look at what has happened along the East Washington Avenue corridor with the arrival of The Sylvee, Robinia Courtyard, Arts + Literature Lab, MYArts, and Breese Stevens Field events. The area is booming!
More than 91% of survey respondents agreed that an arts venue “inspires a sense of pride in this neighborhood or community.” More than 86% said they would feel a “great sense of loss” if the venue disappeared.
Yet there is still very little institutional support for the arts in Wisconsin. The state ranks second to last in the country in spending for the arts — just 18 cents per capita in 2023, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. That’s embarrassing, pathetic really. Minnesota invests $9.65 per capita and Illinois (yep those FIBS) invests $1.23 per capita.
Gov. Tony Evers did propose including $100 million in additional spending for the arts in his 2023 budget, but the proposal was removed by the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee during budget deliberations.
How does Dane County do? Taxpayers here support Dane Arts, the cultural arts agency I run, which now has two full-time employees and distributes $250,000 a year in grants to local artists and arts organizations (Isthmus is a recent grant recipient for its cover illustrations). Of course we could do better.
Local businesses, corporations and financial institutions profit from the work of artists and performers, venue owners, and everyone else who contributes behind the scenes. If these institutions care about Dane County and the quality of life of its residents, they need to invest in the arts. The arts promote creativity, wellness and community, and nurture a needed work-life balance. The arts enrich the lives of children and senior residents. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the arts save lives.
There are several ways local businesses can step up. Support an artist or arts organization of your choice. Donate to Dane Arts. We also work with businesses that want to stimulate creativity among their employees, deepen an arts partnership, or strengthen ties with diverse communities. Together, we can imagine, create and execute.
Mark Fraire is the director of Dane Arts.
