The City of Carmel is partnering with Americans for the Arts on a new study exploring the economic impact of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in communities across the nation. The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is the sixth national study of its kind designed to measure the financial impact the arts have on local economies.
As part of the study, Carmel residents and visitors are encouraged to fill out special audience surveys that will be made available at many performances throughout the community, including some at the Palladium, Tarkington and Studio Theaters, during CarmelFest, at weekly Gazebo concerts, PorchFest, the International Arts Festival and many more events.
The survey questions must be answered while at the event and can be completed on paper or via a smartphone with a QR code provided at the various venues. If you are attending with your family or a group of friends, only one member will answer the questions as a representative of the family or group. The City of Carmel is required to have turned in at least 800 surveys by the end of April 2023.
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“In addition to enriching our lives, the arts have the potential to impact many other aspects of our community. The arts are an open invitation to engage in our history, our heritage and our culture. The arts are part of our daily lives and help us relate to other peoples and cultures as they connect us to through our shared human experiences,” said Nancy Heck, Director of Community Relations and Economic Development for the City of Carmel. “Economic impact studies expand the conversation about how people view the arts beyond the more obvious cultural benefits to our community, to the economic development benefits the arts provides. Our local arts industry supports jobs, helps attract businesses and residents and is a cornerstone of tourism.”
Nationally, the previous AEP study showed that the nonprofit arts industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity while supporting 4.6 million jobs. In Hamilton County, it is estimated that visitors staying in Carmel spend about $353 million annually in lodging, food and beverage, transportation and attractions purchases. This contributes significantly to the overall county tourism impact, which is ranked third in the state for total visitor spending.
This economy also supports 5,000 jobs in Carmel and helps local taxpayers reap the support of $42 million in additional state and local tax revenues, which help keep the local city property tax rate one of the lowest among cities in Indiana. Our local nonprofit arts and cultural organizations have been and will continue to be critical to our economic recovery.
Click here to learn more about the survey.