Arts and us: Collier leaders spell out financial impact of arts from national survey

The United Arts Council of Collier County will frame a solid picture of the arts in Collier County on Wednesday to anyone who's interested in learning about a substantial part — $107 million, 2,923 jobs — of its presence here. 

The 9 a.m. forum is in the community room of the Naples Daily News office and is open to the public. It breaks out Collier County's statistics gathered for a nationwide survey titled The Arts and Economic Prosperity. Its aim: To see what the arts mean financially to the communities who poll them, at least through the work its nonprofits do.

Nonprofits in Collier County include its largest venue, the 1,400-plus-seat Artis—Naples and its Baker Museum, as well as the largest theaters — The Naples Players, Gulfshore Playhouse and Theatrezone.

It doesn't, however, include private venues that stage concerts, individually run arts programs and classes, or art galleries. 

That, said Chad Jensen, board president of the United Arts Council of Collier County, is the gap in the portrait. 

"It doesn’t poll all the for-profit entities," said Jensen, an artist and gallery owner whose business is outside that realm. "The core we had is from the nonprofit sector. I hope someday we'll have a way to include all arts businesses in our survey." 

The survey works within a framework provided by Americans for the Arts, the national organization that tallies arts expenditures and revenue every five years. The organization specifically doesn't count for-profit entities to gauge the effect of nonprofit arts as an economic presence in the community.

What the organization has learned, and what Executive Director Laura Burns will lay out, is a snapshot of the nonprofit arts influence in Collier County, both direct and indirect. 

Data in the report will break down statistics on how much arts events contribute to resident household income and government income and what tangential expenditures — such as meals, transportation and lodging — average here.

Also in the statistics: how much the arts in Collier County contribute to local and state revenue and how much they bring back to the county from both.

One talking point from the survey for local business is bound to be the visitor effect: Nonresidents are likely to spend nearly half again as much on arts events (46.2 percent more) as residents. And money spent on refreshments and snacks at an event were the third-highest among the average dollars spent around arts events, suggesting arts armies also march on their stomachs. 

"It's really a good overall glimpse of what the arts does economically for Collier County," Jensen said. 

Attempts to reach Burns were unsuccessful. She did provide a statement: "We are so excited to share the information from the Arts & Economic Prosperity study with our stakeholders and the community in this forum. We look forward to seeing those who can join us, and for those who miss this opportunity to connect, there will be more planned throughout Collier County.”

Lee County Alliance for the Arts also participated in the survey. Its nonprofit arts groups generated $140 million and jobs for 3,875 people. More information on that segment of the study can be found at  newspr.es/2tExxmC

If you go

What: United Arts Council of Collier County discussion of local results from the Arts & Economic Prosperity survey

When: 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6

Where: Community room, Naples Daily News building, 1100 Immokalee Road, North Naples (front entrance is off Creekside Way from Immokalee Road; rear entrance is from Creekside Boulevard) with parking in front or on the west side of the building)

Admission: Free

Information:  www.uaccollier.com and www.americansforthearts.org or call 239-254-8242