Bravo Greater Des Moines Announces Regional Arts and Culture Economic Impact Data as Part of National Study

(Des Moines, Iowa), November 16, 2023 – Bravo Greater Des Moines (Bravo) announced that Greater Des Moines’ nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $310 million in economic activity in 2022. The sector also supported 5,439 jobs in the region and generated $66.9 million in local, state and federal tax revenue. The reported data also show arts and culture are significant drivers of tourism, drawing more than a million attendees from outside the region, 67% of whom said they visited Greater Des Moines specifically for the event, performance or exhibit. In addition to economic impact, arts and culture are also driving social impact with more than 89% of audience responses agreeing that the activity or event they attended was a source of pride for the community.

Data were collected over the last 18 months by Bravo in partnership with 176 local arts and culture organizations as part of Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6). Produced by Americans for the Arts (AFTA), AEP6 is the largest national study of its kind and builds on the research of five previous studies conducted by AFTA over the last three decades. Nine other Iowa communities (Ames, Cedar Falls, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City, Marion, Mason City, Sioux City, and Waterloo) also participated along with more than 300 local, regional, and statewide arts agencies across the county.

“For many people, quality of life is already connected to arts and culture, but this study affirms that economic and social impact are a big part of the story, too,” said Bravo Greater Des Moines executive director, Sally Dix. “The nonprofit organizations and cultural partners in our region not only provide high-caliber experiences for audiences, but they are also stimulating the economy, supporting local jobs, contributing to tourism and helping to build healthy and vibrant communities.”

Serving as the region’s arts council, Bravo Greater Des Moines invests public funds, contributed by 17 local communities, in arts, culture and heritage programs and organizations throughout the metro. AEP6 validates the significant return-on-investment generated by this unique regional partnership, reinforcing the idea that arts and culture are need-to-have assets that are advancing every regional priority from talent attraction to education, economic development to mental health.

Iowa arts and culture leaders, supporters and advocates will gather at the Blank Park Zoo at 4:30 pm on Thursday, November 16 for a launch event to release the state’s AEP6 results. The event is presented by Bravo Greater Des Moines and the Iowa Arts Council, the arts division of Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). Randy Cohen, Vice President of Research at Americans for the Arts, will present the data and provide perspective and analysis of the study and its impact.

For the Greater Des Moines region report, visit: https://bravogreaterdesmoines.org/resources For the full Iowa AEP6 report, visit: https://culture.iowaeda.com/impact-of-the-arts/
For additional information about the AEP6 study and the complete national report, visit www.aep6.AmericansForTheArts.org