Culture Works joined arts councils and associations across Ohio to help fund the Creative Sector Economic Contribution Report, just released this week. Launched as a partnership between Ohio Citizens for the Arts (OCA) and Center for Regional Development (CRD) at Bowling Green State University, the study looked at impacts to regional economies, workforce numbers and community development to find “the exact toll that the pandemic has inflicted upon Ohio’s artists, organizations and anchor institutions.”

Ohio’s Creative Industry suffers from the highest unemployment rate among all state sectors. This report will help quantify, in comparison to 2019 – a year of growth for the industry, the exact toll that the pandemic has inflicted upon Ohio’s artists, organizations, and anchor institutions. Angela Meleca, Executive Director of OCA, says, “This report confirms our members’ assertions over the past 24 months. Ohio’s creative businesses were hardest hit with forced closures, as our sector was closed longer than any other industry and will be the last industry in Ohio to recover fully.”

View a graphic of the Dayton Region (Dayton + Surrounding Counties) Study Results HERE.

View a graphic of the Montgomery County Study Results HERE.

View a graphic of the Ohio Study Results HERE.

More information: https://www.ohiocitizensforthearts.org/news/2022/4/12/ohio-citizens-for-the-arts-announces-economic-contribution-of-creative-industries-report