“I believe that creativity will be the currency of the 21st century.” — Gerald Gordon, Ph.D., President/CEO, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending the 2017 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention.  I loved meeting impressive folks from across the country and learning from them, but the best part was being able to share with them the talent and creativity we have in Summit County. I am enormously proud to work with and represent our creative community!

One of the most anticipated aspects of the weekend was the release on Saturday of Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 – Americans for the Arts’ fifth study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry’s impact on the economy.

This effort generated some interesting discussion among our colleagues and I wanted to share a few highlights:

1) In 2015, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion of economic activity nationally.
2) The sector supports 4.6 million full-time equivalent jobs generating $96.1 billion in household income.
3) $27.5 billion in federal, state, and local government revenue was generated

The arts, their audiences, and related businesses are responsible for billions of dollars of economic activity.  There is a wealth of data and information for you to examine online and I hope you enjoy running through the assessment.

In a global economy that is rapidly evolving and changing, there is a clear demand for an innovative, imaginative, and creative workforce.  The arts and culture sector have been and continue to support our nation’s health and are a vital part of a healthy community.