EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine February 2019 | Page 28

ARTS & CULTURE:
MORE THAN JUST
ENTERTAINMENT
by Sandy Shaughnessy
Director, Florida Department of State Division
of Cultural Affairs
F
rom the glitz of Miami’s colorful arts scene to
cultural festivals in the Panhandle, arts and culture
in Florida touches every part of our lives. Across the
state, arts and cultural organizations support jobs, tourism
and education while helping to build a more vibrant and
creative Florida. These groups provide not just inspiration
and entertainment but also contribute to civic pride and
local economies. According to Americans for the Arts’
latest economic impact study, not-for-profit arts and
culture has an impact of $4.68 billion in Florida, delivering
more than $492 million to local and state government
revenue. The report also finds that nearly $49 million of
that impact is in Volusia County, with local government
revenue totaling nearly $3 million. In Daytona Beach
alone, Florida Department of State Division of Cultural
Affairs grantees employ more than 50 positions.
Beyond this direct impact on the economy, arts and
culture both inspire us and help Florida attract new
businesses. A recent study by the University of Florida
Center for Arts in Medicine, funded by the Florida
Division of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment
for the Arts, found a strong association between arts
| 28 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
participation and both personal and community
perceptions of quality of life. The University of Florida
study demonstrates that Floridians who participate in
the arts at least once per year such as attending a concert
or visiting a museum are more likely to vote, volunteer,
advocate and attend public meetings. In addition, arts
participants are more likely to report better physical
and mental health, as well as greater access to quality
healthcare. Arts participants also indicate that their cities
are good places to live in much higher numbers than
those who did not participate in the arts.
A skilled and educated workforce is another
recruitment tool for attracting businesses. Americans
for the Arts tells us that students with four years of arts
classes are 18 percent more likely to graduate from high
school, have higher grade point averages and score nearly
100 points higher on the SAT. Students in arts classes learn
innovation and resourceful thinking, and the creativity
encouraged by arts classes is the number one skill
business leaders look for when hiring.
All of these indicators align closely with the Division
of Cultural Affairs’ vision to support vibrant, healthy
and thriving communities where the arts are integrated
into every aspect of life. Arts and culture in the Daytona
region attract visitors and their dollars to the tune of more
than $6 million per year. Residents of the region spend
nearly $29 million in relation to arts and culture events,
and this amount does not include the cost of admission.
They eat at local restaurants, shop in local stores and may
even pay a local babysitter when they visit the Daytona
Cinematique or Museum of Arts and Sciences. These local
dollars stay local. They ripple throughout the community,
bolstering the economy of Volusia County and increasing
local government revenues.