40 NORTH | 88 WEST TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL ARTS AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY STUDY
May 10, 2006
Champaign – 40 North | 88 West, the Champaign County’s Arts, Culture & Entertainment Council, announced today its participation in Americans for the Arts’ second National Arts and Economic Prosperity Study. Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, enlisted more than 100 communities across the United States to participate in the study, which will review the economic impact of nonprofit arts organizations in each community. Americans for the Arts' economic impact studies continue to be among the most frequently cited statistics used to demonstrate the impact of the nation’s nonprofit arts industry on the local, state, and national economy.
Americans for the Arts’ next Arts and Economic Prosperity Study will be conducted during 2006, with results presented in June 2007. Champaign County is among more than 100 diverse communities across the country ranging in population (50,000 to 3,000,000), geography (Homer, Alaska to Miami, Florida), and type (rural to large urban). Local arts agencies — public and private organizations working to increase community access to and participation in the arts — will serve as local research partners, collecting detailed expenditure data from nonprofit arts organizations and audience members. Economists from the Georgia Institute of Technology will customize input/output analysis models for each of the communities to provide specific and reliable economic impact data about their nonprofit arts industry.
As a local partner, 40 North | 88 West will receive a detailed report describing the economic impact of spending by nonprofit arts organizations and arts audiences in Champaign County, a series of potent advocacy tools that support the case for private- and public-sector arts funding, and a significant national and local visibility opportunity for the local arts industry.
“The arts provide the key to economic development while still being true to their fundamental purpose: to delight, to inspire, to portray, and to provoke,” stated Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “The arts are vital to our nation’s economy and this research is essential in our efforts to advance the arts in America.”
“40 North was formed in October of 2002 with the understanding that investing in our collective and individual creativity was critical for the future of the County,” said Jennifer Armstrong, Executive Director of 40 North | 88 West. “Working Together 3, a report published in 2002 by the Illinois Arts Alliance, revealed the total annual economic impact of non-profit arts in Champaign County totaled more than $33 million,” Armstrong added. “We expect the results of the Americans for the Arts and Economic Prosperity study to reveal a significant increase.”
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 40 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
40 North | 88 West – Champaign County’s Arts, Culture & Entertainment Council, is committed to cultivating creativity in Champaign County. Through advocacy, information and collaboration, 40 North supports and promotes the important role that arts, culture and entertainment hold in making the community a great place to live, work, learn and play.
For more information about Americans for the Arts or the Arts & Economic Prosperity study, contact:
Beth Olsen, Goodman Media for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 ext. 243 or bolsen@goodmanmedia.com