Peninsula Arts & Humanities Alliance Joins “Arts & Economic Prosperity® 5” Study

The arts mean business. That is the message being delivered by Door County’s Peninsula Arts & Humanities Alliance (PAHA), who announced it has joined the Arts & Economic Prosperity® 5, a national study measuring the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences. The research study is being conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s nonprofit organization advancing the arts and arts education. It is the fifth study over the past 20 years to measure the impact of arts spending on local jobs, income paid to local residents, and revenue generated to local and state governments.

As one of nearly 300 study partners across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, PAHA will collect detailed financial data about local nonprofit arts and culture organizations. About 20 Door County nonprofits will participate in the study, facilitated by Dave Maier, Managing Director, Northern Sky Theater; Brian Kelsey, Managing Director, Peninsula Players; and Mark Kuntsman, Executive Director, Midsummer’s Music Festival.

“Many people don’t think of nonprofit arts organizations as businesses,” said Maier, “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.”

PAHA will also collect surveys from attendees at arts events using a short, anonymous questionnaire that asks how much money they spent on items such as meals, parking and transportation, and retail shopping specifically as a result of attending the event. Surveys will be collected throughout calendar year 2016.

For a full list of the Arts & Economic Prosperity® 5 study partners, visit AmericansForTheArts.org/AEP5Partners.