Study fiinds Cleveland County art nonprofits generate $36 million

Andrea Hancock, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·2 min read

Apr. 17—According to a new study, Cleveland County-based nonprofit arts and culture ventures generated $36 million in 2022.

Norman was one of 373 communities across all 50 states to participate in "Arts and Economic Prosperity 6," an economic impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts.

The study included surveys conducted with attendees at performances, events, exhibits, venues, and facilities from May 1, 2022 through July 18, 2023 and surveys conducted with arts and culture nonprofits.

Over $11.6 million of the $36 million generated comes through nonprofit spending, including through their payrolls, purchases of goods and services, payments to artists, programming costs, grants awarded and facility expenses. The study found Cleveland County-based arts nonprofits have created 596 jobs.

The remaining $24.4 million comes through audience and attendee purchases.

Nationally, the study found that arts and culture nonprofits generated $151.7 billion in the year studied, supporting 2.6 million jobs.

"Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer," said Nolan V. Bivens, the president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "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."

The attendee surveys were conducted on paper and through QR codes posted around events. The surveys found that the average attendee spends $33 per event, not including the cost of admission.

Individuals from outside of Cleveland County made up about 29% of respondents and spent more than average, spending about $49 per person.

About 87% of respondents agreed that the activity they were attending was "a source of neighborhood pride for the community," and 84% reported that they would "feel a sense of loss" if the activity was no longer available.

To conduct surveys with local nonprofits, researchers created comprehensive lists of all eligible arts and culture nonprofits located in the studied community. The survey was conducted from February 27, 2023 through August 4, 2023.

Americans for the Arts began the Arts and Economic Prosperity study 30 years ago, reconducting surveys approximately every five years. For more information about the study and the methodology used, visit www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-and-data.