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What is the value of art to Montana's communities? As with anything in this contentious state, opinions differ. At one extreme are the sloganeers who flatly declare "Art saves lives," and arrange their priorities accordingly. Conversely, others feel art is a luxury Montana family (and public) budgets can ill afford.
Probably most of us fall somewhere in the middle. We may believe, rather vaguely, that our local museums, theatre groups, and orchestras provide "cultural enrichment" or an "enhanced quality of life." But we don't translate the values of art into actual dollars until our favorite agency's fund drive. Even then, the transaction may seem more a "handout" than an investment likely to yield long-term economic benefits.
Is personal sentiment Montanans only real measure of the value of art? Given our cash-strapped local and state governments, lower than average wage scales, and declining basic industries, maybe it's time for a closer look at the economics of art. Fortunately, a recent study of America's nonprofit art agencies provides the data for a comprehensive assessment.
In January 1994, the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies (NALAA), a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization that represents the nation's 3800 local arts agencies, published the results of its three-year examination of nonprofit art groups and their impact on local economies. Investigators surveyed arts activity in 33 towns and cities across America--including two in Montana--tracking jobs, income, revenues, and expenditures over a three-year period.
The study demonstrates that nonprofit arts agencies are a significant industry in this country--one that creates and supports jobs, provides personal income, spends money in the community, and generates revenue to a local, state and federal governments. Far from being a drain on the local resource pie, nonprofit arts agencies tend to add economic value--by enriching other businesses, revitalizing neighborhoods, and drawing tourists.
In this article, we describe the NALAA study's scope, methodology, and overall findings, then focus on the two participating Montana communities, Missoula and Miles City.
DETAILS OF THE STUDY
NALAA's study, "Arts in the Local Economy," provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the economic impact of nonprofit arts agencies. Researchers surveyed fiscal and other data from hundreds of randomly selected nonprofit arts organizations in 33 American communities for three consecutive years (1990-92). Beyond...