Once every five years, the Lehigh Valley Arts Council partners with Americans for the Arts to conduct Arts & Economic Prosperity, an economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in the Lehigh Valley. This research enables us to detect market changes, recognize trends and identify ways to safeguard this vital economic sector. In 2016, ninety-eight nonprofit cultural organizations in the Lehigh Valley submitted data for their fiscal year ending 2015.
After two decades of double-digit growth and the unbridled expansion of arts and cultural venues across our region, the results from the 2016 study reveal some troubling trends: that the annual economic activity generated by Lehigh Valley’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences declined about 11 percent, from $208 million five years ago to $186.4 million. The fact that attendance to regional events fell by 1.4 million persons is even more concerning.
However, size is just one measurement of impact. In addition to providing economic vitality, cultural nonprofits cultivate a level of community engagement that is invaluable to the region’s health and welfare. Among the many findings of the 2016 study, 6,952 volunteers donated 323,354 hours in 2015 to the 98 nonprofit organizations. This is tangible evidence of how the arts are integral to the lives of so many.