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City of Elgin to Participate in National ‘Arts & Economic Prosperity 6’ Study

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City of Elgin to Participate in National ‘Arts & Economic Prosperity 6’ Study

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City of Elgin to participate in the national ‘Arts & Economic Prosperity 6’ study
 
 
 
Ishti is performing in the Going Dutch Festival presented by Side Street Studio Arts at the Elgin Art Showcase. Photo by Roberto Martinez, 2017.
 
 
 

Data collection for a most comprehensive study of the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture industry underway

Elgin, IL - The City of Elgin is pleased to announce its participation in Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), the most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the United States. Administered by Americans for the Arts, AEP6 will examine the economic impact of the arts and culture in Elgin and 386 additional communities representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
 
Audience-intercept surveys will be collected from attendees to arts events in Elgin from May 2022 through April 2023—in total, the national sample is anticipated to surpass 250,000 surveys. A survey of nonprofit arts and culture organizations will occur from January through April 2023. The national and local findings will be made public in September 2023. At that time, the City of Elgin will receive a customized report on the unique economic impact results including the number of jobs that are supported and the amount of government revenue that is generated by our community’s nonprofit arts industry.
 
“Elgin is known for supporting the arts and this study helps us to quantify that,” said Assistant to the City Manager for Special Projects and the Arts Amanda Harris. “We know that the arts bring us joy, but the data pulled together through this study will help all of our area organizations better tell the story of how their programs are bringing actual dollars to Elgin and impacting our community pride and cultural identity.”

The Arts & Economic Prosperity® series is conducted approximately every five years to gauge the economic impact of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and the event-related spending by their audiences. In 2017, AEP5 documented that the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity (spending by organizations plus the event-related spending by their audiences) which supported 4.6 million jobs and generated $27.5 billion in government revenue. The AEP series demonstrates that an investment in the arts provides both cultural and economic benefits.

Nolen V. Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, commented, “The arts are economic catalysts—strengthening the economy by creating jobs, generating government revenue and driving tourism. Community is where the arts make a difference, and while the national impact data is impressive, at its core, AEP6 is a local story. I look forward to seeing its results, which will be key in persuading decision-makers that the arts benefit all people in all communities.”

Americans for the Arts is committed to addressing equity and inclusion as a critical component of the methodology, organizational participation, and collection of data for AEP6 by centering and representing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American) identifying communities—a segment of the nonprofit arts and culture sector that has been underrepresented in past studies.

For the first time, AEP6 will require that the local and state research partners collect a portion of audience surveys from attendees at events hosted by arts and culture organizations that primarily serve communities of color. The AEP6 study will establish a benchmark of arts and culture organizations that primarily serve communities of color and the audiences that attend their events. It will also identify organizations that have a chief executive who identifies as BIPOC/ALAANA. Researchers will use this data to calculate and report on the economic impact of the BIPOC/ALAANA arts sector in each of the participating communities.
 

For more information about the City of Elgin’s cultural arts programming visit cityofelgin.org/culturalarts or contact culturalarts@cityofelgin.org.

For more information and a full list of the communities participating in the AEP6 study, visit www.americansforthearts.org/AEP6.
 
 
 
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