June 20, 2017
New report: Impact of Portland's art and cultural nonprofits surging
Photo / Renee Cordes
Dinah Minot, executive director of Creative Portland, said a new economic impact study put out by the city demonstrates that nonprofit and cultural organizations are major contributors to the economy.
From the recently renovated and "reimagined" Portland Museum of Art to the contemporary Space Gallery, nonprofit arts and cultural organizations are a major contributor to the city’s economy.
New numbers put out by the city on Tuesday show an economic impact of $75.6 million in 2015, compared to $49 million in 2012.
The $75.6 million headline figure breaks down into $46.6 million in spending by arts and cultural organizations and $29 million in event-related spending by their audiences.
Forty-six Portland nonprofit arts and culture groups participated in the survey, which fed into a nationwide report by Americans for the Arts, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group working to advance the arts in the United States.
The Portland report showed that Cumberland County residents spent an average of $21.53 per event in 2015, excluding the price of admission, compared to $41.30 per event spent by non-residents. Expenditure tallies include meals and refreshments, souvenirs and gifts, ground transportation and lodgings for one night.
Total event-related expenditures in 2015 came to $14.7 million by Cumberland County residents and $14.4 million by non-locals.
“It’s an exciting time for Portland’s arts and cultural organizations as we witness the inevitable growth as a prominent arts hub of New England, in all its glorious forms,” Dinah Minot, executive director of Creative Portland, said in Tuesday’s release.
She added: “Collaborating with so many amazing cultural institutions as well as smaller arts organizations … elicits a collective confidence that the arts and cultural organizations are beginning to make a splash not only in Maine, but on the eastern seaboard in general.”
In a recent interview with Mainebiz, Minot said she aims to encourage more Portland businesses to buy and display art and host pop-up exhibitions, including for First Friday Art Walks.
After the most recent Art Walk she hosted Creative Portland’s first monthly “Monday Morning Drop By,” an informal get-together for anyone in the community interested in connecting with the arts world or learning more about local cultural happenings.
Greg Mitchell, Portland’s economic development director and a member of Creative Portland’s board, said the survey results “validate the importance of a strong arts and creative economy in Portland,”which he said is part of Portland’s brand.
Nationwide, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity in 2015, supported 4.6 million jobs and generated $27.5 billion in revenue to local, state and federal governments, the Americans for the Arts report showed.
The customized Portland report can be found here. Find the nationwide report here.
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