ADVANCING THE ARTS
IN NEW YORK STATE

The Value
of the Arts

Arts strengthen the economy.

Arts and cultural production accounts for $151,066,164,000 and 7.37% of the New York economy, contributing 461,425 jobs.

Arts drive
tourism.

Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend $31.47 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission. Arts travelers stay longer and spend more to seek out authenticity.

Arts unify
communities.

67 percent of Americans believe “the arts unify our communities regardless of age, race, and ethnicity” and 62 percent agree that the arts “helps me understand other cultures better.”

Arts spark creativity
and innovation.

Creativity is among the top 5 applied skills sought by business leaders.  Nobel laureates in the sciences are 17 times more likely to be actively engaged in the arts.

Arts improve individual well-being.

63 percent of the population believe the arts “lift me up beyond everyday experiences,” 64 percent feel the arts give them “pure pleasure to experience and participate in.” 

Arts are fundamental
to our humanity.

They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts bring us joy, help us express our values, and build bridges between cultures.

From Americans for the Arts

Cultural Organizations Collaborate

ArtsNYS provides a support network and source of information for the field, fosters relationships between arts/cultural leaders and those in other sectors, promotes inclusiveness, diversity, and accessibility, and leads state-wide advocacy efforts.  

Resident Alien Exhibit, Photo credit: Alon Koppel c/o Green County Council on the Arts
Photo credit: Alon Koppel
Photo credit: ACCR Sprouts Program
Photo credit: ACCR Sprouts Program
Photo Credit: The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes
Photo Credit: The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes

“We believe that highly visible art can create memorable places, promote community pride and raise the level of aesthetics and energy in the city where the public art project is located.  In short, we believe that great art is transformational. And, that’s great for business.”

Mark Alexander
Principal, Alexander Development Group

“As Americans, we treasure our freedom of expression, which has given us the arts in all its forms, as a universal language – one that connects hearts and minds in conversation, imagination and thought.” 

Janet T. Langsam
CEO, ArtsWestchester

"Children need art and stories and poems and music as much as they need love and food and fresh air and play.” 

Philip Pullman
Novelist

“Art appreciation, like love, cannot be done by proxy; It is a very personal affair and is necessary to each individual.”

Robert Henri
Painter

"None of us are as creative as all of us."

Steve Jobs

STRONGER TOGETHER