Culture
The Arts Give Local Economy A Boost
By: Cotrell Loftin
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The results of a study presented during Monday’s city council meeting reveal increased revenue and more jobs for the City of Athens.
The Arts & Economic Prosperity IV study states that in 2010 the arts helped to create 700 jobs and had an economic impact of $24 million.
“The calculator provided by the A&EP IV study indicates that each hundred thousand dollars in arts cultural organization expenditures makes 3.18 full-time equivalent jobs to the local economy, almost $80,000 in resident household income, $3,600 in local government revenue and $3,500 in state government revenue,” says Bick Weissenreider, CEO of Hocking Valley Bank.
The study was conducted with the help of the Athens Municipal Arts Commission and it was similar to findings in other communities around the country.
City Councilmember Kent Butler – who holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree– advocated for investing in marketing strategies and developing attractions that will help the arts community and the local economy reach their full potential.