The Arts Economy in Montana

Montana officials just completed a study of the economic impact of their arts organizations. Many other state and community economic development and arts organizations have done the same in recent years as a way to justify investments in the arts.

Montana's nonprofit arts community has an economic impact of $85 million across state, according to a study released by the Montana Arts Council. The $85 million brought in by the state's 137 organizations generated:

- 1,949 full-time jobs paying an average of $18,275.
- $35.8 million in payroll income.
- $13.5 million in taxes.
- 260,000 out-of-state visitors.

In addition, an estimated 88 percent of the dollars spent by arts organizations are spent locally. 6,600 volunteers contributed 200,000 hours of their time to the arts. An estimated 1.5 million people attended an arts event in the state, including 123,000 children. I think these numbers are far more important than the $85 million in measurable economic impact

Being an economic developer, I understand why we measure the economic impact of the arts, but that is not the REAL reason why we support the arts. We should support the arts because they are important in their own right as a way for people to understand their world and express that understanding in creative and meaningful ways. People and communities seeking meaningful lives should see the arts as a vital part of creating a human legacy. All the economic numbers in the world will never tell the real story why the arts are important to a civilized world.

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