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.