Arts and cultural programs generate $7 million in spending every year in York County, a bigger number than arts boosters say they had estimated.
Artists and their organizations account for $4.7 million of that total -- whether it's paying employees, buying supplies or hiring contractors to help set up for festivals.
Audiences generate the remaining $2.3 million when they buy tickets, stay in hotels or spring for popcorn during intermission.
So says a nonprofit group called Americans for the Arts, which surveyed more than 1,000 local people and businesses over the past year.
"If a private industry was moving into York County that produced a $7 million impact, that would be big news," said Debra Heintz, executive director of the Arts Council of York County. "The arts are an industry that provides that kind of impact and that certainly is reason to support (them)."
Until now, the arts council had estimated a $1.5 million economic impact annually. But the figure was based on informal surveys -- not a professional study.
Armed with the new numbers, arts boosters hope they'll have a better shot at convincing donors to give money and encouraging local officials to support their efforts.
The study looked at festivals, concerts, gallery crawls and other events. Programs put on by Winthrop University were not included because the school is not considered a nonprofit arts group, Heintz said.
The study was commissioned by the arts council at a cost of $3,500, which included a $2,000 grant from the S.C. Arts Commission, Heintz said. York County was one of 156 communities and regions across the country that were studied by the group.
Big-ticket events often get the publicity, but shows that attract a few dozen people create spin-off benefits, too, said Ashley Peeples, a musician in a local rock band called Heavy Sandwich.
"Even just having live music at a place like McHale's (Irish pub)," Peeples said. "It's a case of nickels and dimes adding up. If something happens to draw people to a focal point, everything surrounding it is going to be impacted one way or another."
The $7 million is much less than other communities of similar size, the study group reported. In areas where the population is between 100,000 and 250,000, Americans for the Arts pegged the median impact level at $29 million annually.
Heintz attributed the disparity to York County's proximity to Charlotte, saying dollars flow north to a city that has a professional symphony, museums and a full slate of high-profile performances.
Even at $7 million, she said, the arts industry supports 210 full-time jobs, a timely piece of information given the economic downturn.
"That whole document is a tool we can use," Heintz said. "We all know the arts make us feel good. They inspire us and connect us. But in addition to that, they also create jobs and contribute to the economy."
