Economic Impact

Set in Stone: Building America’s New Generation of Arts Facilities

In 2007, just before the domestic economy experienced a major trauma, the Cultural Policy Center at the Harris School and NORC at the University of Chicago launched a national study of cultural building in the United States.

There was a substantial increase in cultural facilities building, particularly between 1998 and 2001 (i.e., the building boom”).
Building in the arts grew faster than or on par with building in other sectors, particularly health and education.
The Southern region saw a huge increase in the total number of cultural facilities during the period studied—significantly greater than other parts of the country.
Smaller cities with fewer than 500,000 people were building as well, and many of these cities were building for the first time.

Museums and the American Economy in 2011

In 2011, American museums reflected the overall state of the U.S. economy, with a high level of economic stress and continued belt-tightening but also the signs of potential recovery. For the third year in a row, a majority of museums report increased attendance but moderate to very severe economic stress. Yet budgets are shrinking at a slower pace, museums are starting to hire new workers, and spending on K-12 education remains a high priority. Museum leaders are optimistic that economic conditions will improve in 2012, while recognizing that the field continues to face serious economic challenges.

Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy: Industries in Focus

The U.S. Commerce Department today released a comprehensive report, entitled “Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy: Industries in Focus,” which finds that intellectual property (IP)-intensive industries support at least 40 million jobs and contribute more than $5 trillion dollars to, or 34.8 percent of, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).

The report has several important findings, including:

IP-intensive industries contributed $5.06 trillion to the U.S. economy or 34.8 percent of GDP in 2010.
40 million jobs, or 27.7 percent of all jobs, were directly or indirectly attributable to the most IP-intensive industries in 2010.
Between 2010 and 2011, the economic recovery led to a 1.6 percent increase in direct employment in IP-intensive industries, faster than the 1.0 percent growth in non-IP-intensive industries.
Merchandise exports of IP-intensive industries totaled $775 billion in 2010, accounting for 60.7 percent of total U.S. merchandise exports.

FY11 Arts and Culture Economic and Community Impact Report

The FY11 Arts and Culture Economic and Community Impact Report provides evidence that arts and cultural organizations are instrumental in making San Diego a vibrant city. The report found that the 68 arts and culture organizations funded with $5.8 million by the Commission’s OSP program stimulate the economy with over $170 million in expenditures. The report noted that economic activity created by cultural tourists, which spend more and stay longer, is particularly important to San Diego, creating jobs and attracting revenue. In 2011, over 2 million visitors participated in arts and cultural events funded by the Commission – supporting the local economy including hotel expenditures that directly contribute to Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue. In addition, the 68 Commission-funded arts and culture organizations employ a workforce of more than 6,000.

The report also noted that the San Diego region is home to 4,631 arts-related businesses, both for profit and nonprofit, ranking 7th among the top largest US cities – ahead of Seattle, Phoenix, Denver and Philadelphia according to Creative Industries research conducted by Americans for the Arts. These businesses employ 22,727 people, placing San Diego 9th in the nation.

Nurturing California’s Next Generation of Arts and Cultural Leaders

Commissioned by the Center for Cultural Innovation with generous support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation:

Over the past several years, the foundations have invested in research and programs that seek to understand, and address, the talent flight and leadership challenges confronting the arts sector in California. Leaders in the nonprofit arts world, many of them founders and builders of their organizations for decades, will be retiring in unprecedented numbers in the coming years. Organizations could become weaker and destabilized during this transition, a prospect that should be addressed with some urgency. Younger professionals should be able to take on these leadership roles and chart a new course in stressful and changing times. Yet an operational divide between the workplace needs and values of Next Geners and those currently in charge threatens this transition. Here’s a good look at this issue.

California’s Arts Ecology

California has 11,000 arts and culture nonprofits, a number that places the state ahead of most nations in the world. Californians are more likely to participate than other Americans, but arts involvement and nonprofit organizations are unevenly spread across California’s geographic and demographic communities.

New findings generated by Markusen Economic Research and commissioned by The James Irvine Foundation offer fresh illustrations of the California nonprofit arts sector and the people who take part in it.

Economic Impact

Set in Stone: Building America’s New Generation of Arts Facilities

Museums and the American Economy in 2011

Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy: Industries in Focus

FY11 Arts and Culture Economic and Community Impact Report

Nurturing California’s Next Generation of Arts and Cultural Leaders

California’s Arts Ecology

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