adminBy LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
August 8, 2012
A love of the arts has overtaken Kansas City. Kansas Citians even beat out the average New Yorker when it came to participating in the arts.
“I think this (Local Arts Index) has proven the arts is one of the most lucrative investments we can make, and we have made that investment and it’s paid off big time,” Kansas City City Council member Jan Marcason said.
Harlan Brownlee, president and chief executive officer of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City, detailed the results of the Local Arts Index study, which was conducted by the non-profit organization Americans for the Arts.
More than 250 arts organizations exist in the Kansas City metro area, along with 359 locally owned arts related businesses and 61 performing arts venues.
“As a region, we are participating at a higher level in the arts than the rest of the country,” Brownlee said.
In 2012, 43 percent of Kansas City metro residents attended a performing arts event, and Kansas City ranked No. 3 out of 15 multi-county regions for overall participation in the arts and cultural activities.
The area arts industry is also a major employer, beating out the likes of Sprint and Cerner, said Brownlee. Currently, the arts industry provides 8,346 jobs, which can’t be outsourced,
Brownlee said.
“Despite the really terrible effects of the great recession, in the arts we did really well,” Brownlee said.
The arts impacted the local economy with $273 million in annual expenditures, he said.
“It’s very encouraging, and I’m excited,” Kansas City City Council member Melba Curls told Northeast News.
Data from the Local Arts Index can be used to establish a regional cultural plan and aid the Mayor’s Taskforce for the Arts, Brownlee said.
Marcason commended Kansas City, saying, “We can really be proud of our community and how we are able to have world class facilities and
presentations. We stack up really well.”
Art by the Numbers
•Dollars spent per capita by nonprofit arts organizations: Jackson County, $239.43; Regional Average, $57.90; State Average, $23.43; National Average, $57.39
•Consumer spending on entertainment admission fees per capita: Jackson County residents, $23.76; State Average, $19.92; National Average, $20.43
•National Endowment for the Arts grant dollars per 10,000 residents over the past five years: Jackson County, $2,707.83; Regional Average, $1,508.33; State Average, $868.12; National Average, $1,484.58
•Solo artists per 100,000 population: Jackson County, 237.78; National Average, 147.64; State Average, 99.74
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