The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County will launch its local participation in the Sixth National Arts & Economic Prosperity Study (AEP6) on October 19th with a visit from Randy Cohen, VP for Research at Americans for the Arts. A national arts leader for the nation’s largest arts service organization, Cohen will spend the day in Fairfield County and participate in several events. He will share how the arts are essential to healthy, vibrant, prosperous communities and introduce tays and cultural groups in the region to how they can participate in the study. 

The AEP study, which is conducted every five years, is a national economic impact study of America’s nonprofit arts and cultural industry conducted by Americans for the Arts. Building on its 25-year legacy, the highly regarded Arts & Economic Prosperity series will once again document in unprecedented scope and detail the economic power that nonprofit arts and culture wield in 375+ participating communities representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (CAFC) will lead the study in our region for the third time. David Green, Executive Director of CAFC, comments, "Fairfield County is an arts and culture mecca! Our artists and arts organizations make Fairfield County an awesome place to live, work and visit. And we are now ready for the next phase of calculating and communicating the overall economic and social value of this activity. After more than a one-year postponement due to COVID, the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study is underway.” 

The data collection for the AEP study is done through audience surveys that will be collected from attendees at performances, events, exhibits, venues, and facilities from now through April 2023. Cohen’s visit will explain the survey process and energize leaders and workers in the arts and culture sector by participating in several events on October 19th. Cohen will begin his day at Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk with an address and Q&A with arts and culture leaders and organizations. He will then have lunch with chambers of commerce and economic development officers and, later, join regional arts leaders and donors for cocktail hour. In between, Cohen plans to attend one-on-one meetings with municipal leaders and give an interview with WSHU radio.  

Green continues, "The AEP6 study will be more important than ever to demonstrate that, especially in the wake of COVID-19, the arts provide a significant boost as we recharge the economy in America’s local communities. The arts draw people out of their homes and back into community life—spending time with each other and spending their money with local merchants. Studies indicate that audiences cannot wait to return, and we are looking to our community along with us to be there to capture it when they do!"  

The Arts Mean Business 

The last AEP survey in 2017 documented that the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity, supported 4.6 million jobs and generated $27.5 billion in government revenue This study puts to rest a misconception that communities support arts and culture at the expense of local economic development. In fact, communities are investing in an industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue, and is the cornerstone of tourism. Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 showed conclusively that, locally as well as nationally, the arts mean business!

In 2015, in Fairfield County, the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (in partnership with the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut) joined the AEP5 study as one of 250 partners nationwide, and collected 791 valid audience-intercept surveys from 72 eligible nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. Key findings included:

- Fairfield County Arts and Culture nonprofits generated $235 million in economic activity in 2015.
- It supported 6,780 jobs and generated $20.6 million in revenue to local, and state governments in 2015.

See more details and download our infographic at https://culturalalliancefc.org/resources/economic-impact-of-arts-culture-2/

More About Randy Cohen

Randy Cohen, VP for Research at Americans for the Arts, publishes Americans Speak Out About the Arts, the nation’s largest public opinion study about the arts, and produces the two premier economic studies of the arts—Arts & Economic Prosperity and Creative Industries, a mapping study of the nation’s 675,000 arts businesses and their employees.

 Randy’s annual publication:  10 Reasons to Support the Arts received the Gold Award from the Association of Media & Publishing—their top honor for best blog post of the year. Randy led the development of The National Arts Index, the annual measure of the health and vitality of arts in the U.S. and the National Arts Policy Roundtable, an annual convening of leaders who focus on the advancement of American culture—launched in partnership with Robert Redford and the Sundance Institute.

About Americans for the Arts

Americans for the Arts serves, advances, and leads the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain, and support the arts in America. Founded in1960, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. For more information, see: https://www.americansforthearts.org

About the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County 

The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County (CAFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit network that operates as a regional cultural service organization serving 15 coastal Fairfield County towns, from Greenwich to Shelton. CAFC supports some 600 artist and nonprofit members with unified marketing, convening, capacity building, professional development, and advocacy services. For the public, it publishes and broadcasts FCBuzz Events, a free, comprehensive cultural calendar of opportunities across the region. For more information, see: https://culturalalliancefc.org.