Results from Economic Impact of the Arts Study to be released November 1, 2023
Results from Economic Impact of the Arts Study to be released November 1, 2023
(11/1/23/Knoxville) – Today, the Arts & Culture Alliance along with its 125 member arts and culture non-profits announce the results of the recent Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study that measured the cumulative economic impact of the non-profit arts sector in Greater Knoxville with support from the Tennessee Arts Commission.
“We are delighted to be able to demonstrate that despite the industry’s devastating losses during a once-in-a-century pandemic, Greater Knoxville’s arts and culture is climbing back,” says Liza Zenni, Executive Director of the Alliance, Greater Knoxville’s Sponsor and Regional Study Coordinator.
Infographic: PDF 
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis writes: “In year one of the COVID-19 pandemic, few areas of the U.S. economy were harder hit than the performing arts: Performing arts presenters and companies joined oil drilling/exploration and air transportation as the steepest-declining areas of the U.S. economy in 2020.” Furthermore, Johns Hopkins University reported in 2021 that the percentage of job losses at nonprofit arts organizations (at 34.7%) was nearly five times worse than the average of all nonprofits (at 7.4%).
Nevertheless, from 2020 – 2022, at the height of the pandemic, 35% of Knoxville’s arts and culture organizations reported they expanded their services beyond arts and culture to address urgent community needs such as collecting and donating supplies, providing facility space for testing/vaccination sites, and helping other organizations and individuals apply for pandemic relief and unemployment benefits.
Americans for the Arts conducted the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study examining annual economic activity generated by non-profit arts organizations as well as the number of full-time equivalent jobs supported and government revenues. AEP6 is the largest and most inclusive study of its kind. It documents the economic and social contributions of arts and culture in 373 diverse communities and regions representing all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
According to the data collected in surveys conducted two years after the pandemic, from May 2022 through May 2023, Knoxville’s arts and culture industry remains an important economic driver despite only operating at 60-75% of capacity. Audiences agree: 79% of attendees consider local art and culture non-profits important to the community’s business, economy, and local jobs.
Other significant data points include local arts and culture non-profits represent a $62 million industry supporting 2,000 full-time jobs. Spending by local art and culture non-profits and their audiences also generates $29.6M in tax revenues.
Additionally, local arts and culture drives tourism, noted by 50% of event attendees who said they would have traveled to a different community to attend a similar art and culture activity had it not been available in Knoxville.
Following the pandemic last year, 100% of local arts and culture non-profits offered free events for more than 300,000 people. Not surprisingly, 86% of attendees said that the local art and culture industry is important to their community’s quality of life.
Finally, nine out of ten local arts and culture non-profits offer programming for children K-12; in 2022, more than 98,000 youth in Knox County participated in local arts and culture activities for free.
For more information about AEP6, contact Liza Zenni at (865) 523-7543 or lz@knoxalliance.com.