Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6)Study Highlights Vital Role of Arts and Culture in Building More Livable Communities

We’ve known it all along – art and culture in Buffalo are driving economic forces that lead to more prosperity for everyone. Now, Arts Services Inc. (ASI), a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for the region’s artists and arts and culture organizations, has partnered with Americans for the Arts to prove just how significant cultural initiatives and institutions can be, when weighing their economic impact on a community.

Together, Arts Services Inc. and Americans for the Arts have conducted a comprehensive study – Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) – to better measure the economic and social benefits that arts and culture bestow upon WNY. Incredibly, the study found that arts and culture led to $381.4 million in economic activity in 2022, supporting 8,221 jobs, and generating $121 million in government revenue. The breakdown of the $381.4 million equated to $192.0 million in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and $189.4 million in event-related spending by their audiences. Of course those numbers have a significant impact on the quality of life of WNY residents, not to mention the number of visitors and new residents that come along for the ride.

Key figures from Western New York’s AEP6 study include:

• WNY’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $189.4 Million in event-related spending by its audiences.
• The typical attendee spends $45.00 per person per event, not including the cost of admission.
• 90.2% of arts and culture attendees were local, meaning they live within the five counties of Western New York.
• 90.5% of respondents agreed that the activity or venue they were attending was “a source of neighborhood pride for the community.”
• 88.5% said they would “feel a sense of loss if that activity or venue was no longer available.”

“Nonprofit arts and culture organizations play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life and well-being of our communities, as they bring beauty, creativity, diversity, and joy,” said Jen Swan-Kilpatrick, Executive Director of Arts Services Inc. “They also make their cultural offerings accessible to everyone, fulfilling their social mission.”

Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic and social contributions of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. 

“Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents,” said Nolen V. Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “When we invest in nonprofit arts and culture, we strengthen our economy and build more livable communities.”

The full report will soon be available on the ASI website, www.asiwny.org. The national report can be found at AEP6.americansforthearts.org.

Lead image: The Nusantara Arts Buffalo Gamelan Show, courtesy Tom Sager