Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 Study for Northwest Connecticut
This year, the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council will be collaborating with Americans for the Arts (an arts advocacy nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC), the CT Office of the Arts, and the 7 other DRSO’s to collect data for the national AEP6 survey.
AEP6 is supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of the Arts. Data will be collected across the state, and NWCT Arts is responsible for data collection in its 25-town service region: Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Burlington, Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village/Canaan, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury/Lakeville, Sharon, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester/Winsted.
UPDATE 2/1/2022: The beginning of data collection for AEP6 has been postponed until May 2022. This change will give audiences time to return to arts venues after the omicron surge.
What is AEP6?
“AEP6” stands for “Arts and Economic Prosperity 6.” This nationwide study aims to show the economic impact of arts and culture events on local economies by asking audiences about their spending in the community. For example, someone going to see a concert may also pay for parking, a meal or drinks after the show, or childcare for the evening. These small costs add up and can make a huge difference for the businesses and communities surrounding arts and culture venues.
Data collection for AEP6 will take place throughout 2022 and the report will be released in June 2023. At the conclusion of the study, northwest Connecticut will receive a unique economic impact report with data from our region.
The Arts Mean Business
Data like that provided by the previous five Arts and Economic Prosperity studies can help arts advocates make strong cases for public policy that supports the growth of arts and culture in their communities. By clearly showing the link between attendance at arts events and spending, the previous surveys have helped to prove that community arts organizations have a tangible and positive impact on local business.
AEP6 will also be the first of these studies conducted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and will help to discover any links between arts and economic recovery in our region.
We Need Your Help!
To reach audiences, the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council needs your help! We are looking to partner with arts and culture groups throughout our service area to both help raise awareness about AEP6 and to take part in survey collection. Commercial businesses and individual artists are NOT eligible to be partners in survey collection. The following types of organizations ARE eligible:
- Traditional nonprofit arts and culture organizations (e.g., museums, theaters, etc.)
- Municipally owned and municipally operated presenting facilities or institutions (e.g., a city-operated facility)
- Unincorporated community arts and culture organizations (e.g., a community theater)
- Arts programs embedded in non-arts organizations (e.g., an arts program in a church, library, or senior center)
- Living collections such as botanical gardens, zoos, and aquariums
- Historical societies and other historical or historic preservation organizations
- Private arts councils (and cultural alliances, etc.)
- Municipal arts agencies (e.g., an arts commission or a department of cultural affairs
If your organization matches any of these descriptions and you would like to partner with us on collecting data, please fill out our survey below.
