Study: Impact of Springfield arts, culture tops $89M

The Springfield nonprofit arts and culture community tallied direct economic activity of $89.2 million in 2022.

That’s the total reported in the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study, conducted by the nonprofit advocacy organization Americans for the Arts in partnership locally with the Springfield Regional Arts Council Inc. The study was released Oct. 12.

It’s a figure that represents $28.5 million in spending by organizations and $60.7 million in event-related expenditures by audience members, made at shops and restaurants, for example.

The previous study, released in 2017, put the local economic impact of arts and culture at $26.9 million – less than a third of the 2022 total. SRAC Executive Director Leslie Forrester said this year’s study is not comparable to the previous, as 2022 numbers were boosted by the participation of additional arts and cultural organizations – with 39 providing data or conducting surveys of patrons. That’s up from 24 participating agencies in the previous study. Forrester estimates Springfield has 85 arts and cultural organizations in total, though she noted some on her list may be small and volunteer run or inactive.

A few of the organizations conducting surveys or contributing data were The Gillioz Theatre, Hammons Hall, the Springfield Art Museum, the Dickerson Park Zoo and the Moxie Cinema.

The study recognizes that a night at the theater entails more than the price of a ticket. Audience members may pay for sitters and gas or rideshare services. They might buy dinner before or drinks after a show. They may also buy merchandise while they’re out on the town.

Not including ticket prices or merchandise or concessions sold by the arts organization – though that data is captured in the overall impact totals – patrons of arts and culture in Springfield spend an average of $33.18 per person per event in the community, the study found. Those coming from outside Greene County pay even more, with an average of $44.41. Of these visitors, 90.4% reported the primary purpose of their visit was to attend the arts or cultural event where they were surveyed.

“We’re very delighted to see these numbers,” Forrester said. “It’s always helpful to see data support what we all intrinsically knew was happening.”

Forrester said the economic impact figure reflects a great deal of effort by a lot of people.

“The arts community works very hard every day,” she said. “To see that reflected in these numbers gives us some fuel to keep working very hard for the community and to grow Springfield as a cultural hub in southwest Missouri.”

Matt Morrow, president and CEO of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said the arts are a key element in the local economy.

“A vibrant arts scene is absolutely critical to a strong, growing, vibrant economy,” he said. “We see those correlate very often: Most cities that are growing have a vibrant arts scene, and the ones that aren’t do not.”

He added that the impact is significant from a hospitality and tourism perspective as well.

“Many people who come to take part in the arts scene in Springfield may come from some place that requires them to spend the night or weekend,” he said. “That means restaurant and retail, too.”

Data paints a picture
The national study compiles results from 373 communities in the 50 states and Puerto Rico. The Springfield study included only organizations and events within the city limits, according to Forrester.

While this was the sixth national study for Americans for the Arts, this is only the second time Springfield has participated, Forrester said – and more participation meant a much higher economic impact total, as the study’s dollar figures are based only on data provided by those 39 organizations.

“No estimates or extrapolations have been made to account for nonparticipating organizations,” the report states.

The final tally in the 2022 results more than tripled the economic impact of the previous study, for which data was collected in 2015 and 2016 and released in 2017. While she feels the arts and culture impact has grown significantly, Forrester cautioned that it is impossible to determine from the data how much.

“I’d hesitate to put a number on that at all,” she said.

She noted the data from the last study was collected a few years prior to the pandemic, when most arts organizations experienced what their administrators felt was very strong momentum.

COVID-19 hit arts and culture organizations hard, effectively putting them on pause, but Forrester said most organizations report they are back to the same level of programming as before, if not more.

The current study has a much larger pool of data to pull from, she said. The newly released study is based on a collection of more than 1,000 audience surveys and data from arts organizations, up from 793 in the study released in 2017.

The report shows the arts supported 1,160 jobs last year, including full-time, part-time and seasonal work, and paid $50.9 million in income to area residents. Local tax revenue associated with arts events was $2 million, with state tax revenue collected locally at $2.4 million and federal tax revenue at $9.1 million.

In the previous study, 1,065 jobs were found to be sustained by the Springfield arts and culture sector, with $20.5 million in income generated. Spending by arts organizations was $9.8 million and audience spending was $17.1 million.

For the state of Missouri, the nonprofit arts and culture industry amounted to $1.73 billion in economic activity in 2022, the study found. That includes $1.14 billion in spending by arts organizations and $589 million in event-related spending in the community by arts audiences.

The industry supports 13,356 jobs statewide and generates $14.1 million in local, state and federal government revenue, according to figures from the study highlighted by the Missouri Arts Council.

“The study confirms what Missouri has long appreciated – the arts create stronger economies and more vibrant communities,” said Michael Donovan, Missouri Arts Council executive director, in a news release.

The MAC release also highlighted the impact of arts as a tourism driver, as 30% of arts and culture attendees in the state were from outside the county where the activity occurred. Attendees spent an average of $60.57 per person per event.

Nationwide, the study found the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry, supporting 2.6 million jobs and generating $29.1 billion in government revenue. That figure is down from 2017 figures, when the study revealed $166.3 billion in economic activity nationally.

Maturing scene
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure said he sees Springfield maturing as a community, and the arts are a key factor.

“I think there has been a maturing, in a good sort of way, of all of our arts organizations,” he said.

He noted the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has always been good, but now it is growing more popular. This summer, the symphony collaborated with the Ozark Mountain Daredevils on a performance that drew new audiences.

From ballet and theater to music programs at all of the city’s four-year universities, McClure said, interest in the arts is constantly growing, and the Springfield Art Museum is expanding to become more of a regional attraction.

Museum Director Nick Nelson said 2019 audience surveys showed about half of its visitors come from Springfield, with 22% coming from surrounding communities. About a fifth of the museum’s visitors traveled over 150 miles to visit, necessitating local dining and overnight lodging.

Nelson said visitation has not come fully back since the pandemic, in part, due to strategic changes at the museum to focus more on its most committed and mission-focused audience members.

“One silver lining for both audiences and organizations alike from recent years is the opportunity to reinvent and rethink how we live and work,” he said. “Arts organizations may be figuring out new ways to serve audiences and the community as a whole.”

He noted they are doing so at higher costs – for staffing, supplies, shipping, printing and more – as a result of inflation.

“While these numbers demonstrate the economic might of our local arts organizations, they also demonstrate the continued need for support of these organizations as they grapple with higher costs of doing business,” Nelson said.