Nevada City, Calif. March 14, 2024 – On March 13th, Nevada County Arts Council, Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District hosted a lunch-time presentation from Randy Cohen, VP of Research & Policy at Americans for the Arts to deliver the findings of its new NEVADA COUNTY ARTS & ECONOMIC PROSPERITY STUDY (AEP6). AEP6 is a nationwide, longitudinal look at how the creative economy drives key business, tourism and workforce factors at a local, statewide, and national level.
Nevada County Arts Council was joined by invited guests, including City, Town, and County representatives, creative sector and business leaders, and media partners in the council chambers at Nevada City Hall for a one-hour presentation and panel discussion followed by a toast to the arts.
Along with Randy Cohen, the Arts & Economic Prosperity panel included Kimberly Parker, Nevada County Economic Development Program Manager; Gil Mathew, Executive Director of Nevada County Economic Resource Council; Jon Blinder, President of Nevada County Arts Council’s Board of Directors; and Kellie Cutler, Truckee Cultural District Program Manager and member of the Truckee Chamber’s Board of Directors. The panel was facilitated by Eliza Tudor, Executive Director of Nevada County Arts Council.
The AEP6 study is the result of a year-long data collection process and includes information from 127 participating organizations and over 1,000 audience surveys from attendees to nonprofit arts and culture performances, exhibitions, and special events across Nevada County. The AEP6 study—which marks the most extensive data collection effort in the 30-year history of the study nationally—has broken new ground by prioritizing equity, social impact, community engagement, and inclusivity.
“This important study is the result of the hard work of Nevada County Arts Council’s staff and board and the good will of our arts leaders and their audiences,” said Eliza Tudor. “These leaders represent a diverse ecosystem of arts producers–from legacy institutions serving larger audiences; to others directing programs serving historically underrepresented communities; to still others running small artisan or creative businesses. We could not have done this without the support and participation of these incredible partners.”
In 2023, nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences generated $66.0 million in economic activity in Nevada County—$31.9 million in spending by the organizations, which leveraged an additional $34.1 million in event-related spending by their audiences. This economic activity supported 1,359 jobs and generated $13.2 million in tax revenue.
“We’re going to expand the way we think about arts and culture in our communities,” Cohen said during his presentation. “The fact is arts and culture organizations are businesses. They support jobs, they generate revenues to fund government services, they employ people locally, and they drive tourism. Nevada County is a wonderful arts and culture community, and few industries generate the kind of event related spending that the arts do.”
Attendees at Nevada County’s nonprofit arts and culture events spend $42.36 per person per event, beyond the cost of admission—vital income for local merchants and a value-add that few industries can compete with. Arts and culture organizations also strengthen the visitor economy: 33.6% of Nevada County’s arts attendees travel from outside Nevada County; these cultural tourists spend an average of $73.34 per person, not including an average $200.40 per person in lodging.
When asked, 74.8% of those nonlocal attendees reported that the primary purpose of their visit was “specifically to attend the performance, event, exhibit, venue, or facility” where they were surveyed.
“Bottom line,” Cohen said, “they are not just food for the soul, the arts are putting food on the table. It is more than a one-time transactional moment, it’s where we’ve been, it’s who we are, and it’s where we’re going.”
Read or download the full Nevada County Arts & Economic Prosperity Study on the Arts Council website at www.nevadacountyarts.org and watch the recording from the presentation on the Nevada County Arts Council YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@NevadaCountyArtsCouncil.