What’s the good of art?
IT’S true – the arts benefit the Wellington economy. A new survey by Arts Wellington, which represents 40 arts groups in the capital, was conducted amongst its members to establish the economic benefit of arts organisations. The results are out.
“The survey provides compelling evidence that these 40 arts organisations not only contribute significantly to the vibrancy of the city, but also provide meaningful economic benefits,” says Lyndsey O’Reilly, Chair of Arts Wellington.
Sick of people always quoting how much the Sevens means to Wellington, O’Reilly decided to ask the artists – involved in music, theatre, dance, and visual arts – themselves.
“It’s something I’m really passionate about. The arts don’t crop up in census figures because most people in the arts put down ‘manager’ not ‘arts manager’ so their salaries are not recognised as part of the arts sector. I thought; ‘let’s see how big this really is’. No one’s really done this before.
“I wanted to make people to sit up and say: ‘Woah I didn’t realise the arts were such an important player in the economy’.”
Despite mostly positive results, the report did reveal 75% of the organisations believed their income was at risk, particularly from funding sources such as corporate sponsorship, Creative NZ, non-government grants and programme generated revenue.
“On average organisations revealed that nearly a quarter of their income was at risk,” says O’Reilly. “In this environment it’s more important than ever that we pull together to ensure Wellington retains its standing as the Arts and Culture capital.”
When the Wellington City Council heard about the survey last year they jumped on board.
“They were keen to get involved because they wanted to use the results as the basis of further research into how much money is spent elsewhere,” says O’Reilly.
The WCC contributed towards the survey, which cost less than $50,000.
“This is some of the first up-to-date information we have in Wellington so it’s very important. We’re working to develop more research in the arts sector from the findings,” says Aroha Rangi, a WCC senior policy advisor.
“It’s great for the city to have the information.”
The Arts Wellington Economic Impact Survey found that the 40 arts and culture organisations surveyed (including Capital E, Circa, RNZB, NZSO, Footnote Dance, NZ Book Council, and others) collectively generate $141.5 million of expenditure within the Wellington region annually. The study sought to expel the conception that communities support the arts and culture at the expense of other local economic development, and income statistics demonstrated that the investment in the arts by local and government organisations is repaid significantly by the additional income that is generated.
This has a flow-on effect so people who attend arts events often have a meal in a restaurant and spend money on parking, travel and recreation.
“The survey provides compelling evidence that these 40 arts organisations not only contribute significantly to the vibrancy of the city, but also provide meaningful economic benefits,” says Lyndsey O’Reilly, Chair of Arts Wellington.
Sick of people always quoting how much the Sevens means to Wellington, O’Reilly decided to ask the artists – involved in music, theatre, dance, and visual arts – themselves.
“It’s something I’m really passionate about. The arts don’t crop up in census figures because most people in the arts put down ‘manager’ not ‘arts manager’ so their salaries are not recognised as part of the arts sector. I thought; ‘let’s see how big this really is’. No one’s really done this before.
“I wanted to make people to sit up and say: ‘Woah I didn’t realise the arts were such an important player in the economy’.”
Despite mostly positive results, the report did reveal 75% of the organisations believed their income was at risk, particularly from funding sources such as corporate sponsorship, Creative NZ, non-government grants and programme generated revenue.
“On average organisations revealed that nearly a quarter of their income was at risk,” says O’Reilly. “In this environment it’s more important than ever that we pull together to ensure Wellington retains its standing as the Arts and Culture capital.”
When the Wellington City Council heard about the survey last year they jumped on board.
“They were keen to get involved because they wanted to use the results as the basis of further research into how much money is spent elsewhere,” says O’Reilly.
The WCC contributed towards the survey, which cost less than $50,000.
“This is some of the first up-to-date information we have in Wellington so it’s very important. We’re working to develop more research in the arts sector from the findings,” says Aroha Rangi, a WCC senior policy advisor.
“It’s great for the city to have the information.”
The Arts Wellington Economic Impact Survey found that the 40 arts and culture organisations surveyed (including Capital E, Circa, RNZB, NZSO, Footnote Dance, NZ Book Council, and others) collectively generate $141.5 million of expenditure within the Wellington region annually. The study sought to expel the conception that communities support the arts and culture at the expense of other local economic development, and income statistics demonstrated that the investment in the arts by local and government organisations is repaid significantly by the additional income that is generated.
This has a flow-on effect so people who attend arts events often have a meal in a restaurant and spend money on parking, travel and recreation.
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