Culture Works has been invited to participate in Arts & Economic Prosperity® 5, the largest and most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts industry ever conducted. The study is a project of Americans for the Arts, the nation’s nonprofit organization advancing the arts and arts education. It is the fifth national study over the past 20 years to measure the economic impact of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and their audiences. Culture Works is one of 46 multi-county or multi-city partners included in the study.

“Culture Works will be actively engaged in the data collection required for this study throughout 2016 and into early 2017,” said President & CEO Martine Meredith Collier. Starting this month, Culture Works will collect surveys from attendees at arts events—beginning with Muse Machine’s production of Mary Poppins, which runs from January 14-17, 2016 at the Victoria Theatre. Attendees will have the opportunity to complete an anonymous questionnaire regarding how attending the performance influenced their spending and travel.

“We think this is vitally important research for our region and the country, and we are very proud of Culture Works’ leadership in this effort,” said Mary Campbell-Zopf, Executive Director of Muse Machine.

In addition to conducting audience surveys, Culture Works will gather detailed financial information about nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in Clark, Greene, Miami, and Montgomery Counties—the geographic region requested by Americans for the Arts. Meetings with cultural leaders in these counties will begin in February.

The national, statewide, and local study findings will be released on June 16, 2017 and will provide clear evidence of the importance of arts and culture to the Dayton Region, including: the number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by the industry, the amount of resident household income generated by the industry, and the amount of local and state government revenue generated by the industry.

In 2012, Culture Works completed a local Economic Impact Study that determined that arts and culture contributes $161 million annually to the Dayton Region’s economy. As a participant in the AEP5 study, Culture Works will be able provide a more detailed picture of the impact of arts and cultural organizations in the Dayton Region, which will be invaluable in strengthening regional advocacy efforts and local fundraising.

“Many people don’t think of nonprofit arts organizations as businesses,” said Steve Petitjean, Senior Vice President & Retail Market Manager of Fifth Third Bank and Culture Works Board Chair, “but this study will make clear that the arts are a formidable industry in our community—employing people locally, purchasing goods and services from local merchants, and helping to drive tourism and economic development.”