Arts & Economic Prosperity (AEP6) in Sullivan County
The first ever economic impact study of the arts in Sullivan County. Survey conducted by the Sullivan County Office of the County Manager, in partnership with the Library Arts Center.
What is AEP6?
The Economic and Social Impact Study of Nonprofit Arts & Culture Organizations & Their Audiences conducted through Americans for the Arts.
The newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is an economic and social impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 provides detailed findings on 373 regions from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico—ranging in population from 4,000 to 4 million—and representing rural, suburban, and large urban communities.
With its largest cohort ever, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic contributions of the arts and culture industry, demonstrating locally as well as nationally, nonprofit arts and culture are a critical economic driver of vibrant communities. The arts and culture industry supports jobs, generates government tax revenue, strengthens the visitor economy and community vibrancy, and helps to preserve authentic cultural experiences.
AEP6 changes the conversation.
Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 delivers a clear and welcome message: when communities invest in arts and culture, they are not investing in community development at the expense of economic development. Rather, they are investing in an industry that stimulates the economy, supports local jobs, and contributes to building healthy, vibrant, and more livable communities. When we support the arts, we are investing in both Sullivan County’s economic and community well-being.
AEP6 changes the conversation about nonprofit arts and culture organizations from that of a charity—worthy of funding in prosperous economic times but hard to justify in challenging times—to that of an industry with an economic and social impact. Arts and culture organizations are businesses. They employ people locally, purchase supplies and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents. Their very act of creating, presenting, exhibiting, and engaging has a positive economic impact on the community.
View key takeaways for Sullivan County in this booklet with infographics.
Full AEP6 Report
Download and view the full, 58-page Arts & Economic Prosperity Study 6 report for Sullivan County below.
Summary
Download the 2-page data summary for Sullivan County. Outlined in the document are economic impact of non-profit arts sector spending, breakdowns of event-related spending, and the social impact of art and culture organizations and events on their audiences.
Key Takeaways for Sullivan County
Take a look at the key takeaways for our region. See the top 6 takeaways or talking points you can use from the data gathered during our 2022-2023 study.
because the arts mean business.
This year, Sullivan County was pleased to partner locally with the Library Arts Center to launch the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6)—the sixth national study of the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry presented by Americans for the Arts. Economic impact studies like this encourage the members of our communities to join the conversation about the arts, and to share their own views on the arts. While many appreciate the cultural benefit provided to our community, not everyone realizes that our local arts industry supports jobs, generates revenue for local governments, and is a cornerstone of tourism.
Over the past year, our team has sought to invite the communities within Sullivan County to join this conversation surrounding the arts through administering and collecting audience-intercept surveys at nonprofit arts and culture events throughout the County to determine levels of arts event-related spending. With the study results in hand, Sullivan County is proud to present that the arts have a significant economic impact in our communities. When we invest in the arts, we strengthen our local economy.
Social Media Graphics
Share the results! Tell our community, our local government, and our elected leaders that the Arts should have a “seat at the table. Arts are businesses and an important part of our local economies. Download and share these images on social media to spread the word about the power of the arts in Sullivan County.
AEP6 Calculator
Didn’t particiapte in the study? Want to know your organization’s economic impact? This calculator is based on specific data for Sullivan County allows you to estimate your economic impact using two numbers: total number of audience members and total budget for your organization.
The Participating Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations
This study could not have been completed without the cooperation and participation of the 23 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Sullivan County, listed below, that provided the financial and attendance information necessary for the analysis, by completion of the organizational survey.
Abbott Library; Aidron Duckworth Art Museum; Amplified Arts; Area Choir; Claremont Community Television; Claremont Opera House; Dunbar Free Library; Fiske Free Library (Claremont, New Hampshire); Flanders-Osborne Museum & Sunapee Archives (Sunapee Historical Society); Fort At No 4 (Old Fort No 4 Associates); Jazz On A Sunday Afternoon (JOSA); League of NH Craftsmen Fair at Mount Sunapee; Libbie Cass Library; Library Arts Center; Newport Community Television; Newport Historical Society; Newport Opera House Association; Opera North; Richards Free Library; River Theater Company; Saint Gaudens National Historical Park; Sunapee Heritage Alliance; West Claremont Center for Music and The Arts.
Audience Intercept Surveys
Audience intercept surveys were collected at events from the following Sullivan County Nonprofit Arts & Culture Organizations:
Claremont Opera House
West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts
Library Arts Center, Newport
Newport Opera House
The Apple Pie Crafts Fair on the Newport Town Common
The Livery, Sunapee
Sunapee Coffeehouse
788
audience intercept surveys collected in Sullivan County at 16 individual arts and culture events, with over 96 person-hours
committed to data collection.
*Data collection was completed by Library Arts Center staff and volunteers between May 2022 – June 2023.
62
eligible non-profit arts/culture organizations were asked to complete the survey, with a 37% response rate.
*National Response Rate for organizational survey was 43.9%.
About Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts is a national arts service organization based in Washington, D.C., with an office in New York City. Founded in 1960, it serves, advances, and provides leadership to the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain, and support the arts and arts education in America.
