Wes Eisenhauer for Experience SF
FROM ARTS SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE SOUTH DAKOTA ARTS COUNCIL
GREEN IS THE COLOR
W
Arts are good for business!
E “DO” ART to entertain, to give voice, to celebrate our culture and to ponder life’s mysteries. As it turns out, the arts are also good business for South Dakota. A new study shows that the state’s nonprofit arts industry alone generates $363 million in economic activity annually. That doesn’t even include private arts enterprises, which are larger. The study was done by Arts South Dakota in partnership with Americans for the Arts, the South Da-
kota Arts Council and the communities of Aberdeen, Brookings, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Yankton. Jim Speirs, executive director of Arts South Dakota, says the study “dramatically illustrates the arts’ economic significance to South Dakota.” It showed $63.7 million in spending by nonprofits and culture organizations and $299.3 million in event-related spending by audiences. That generates nearly $52 million in local, state and federal tax revenues and supports 6,054 jobs.
TURN THE PAGE FOR ALL THE NUMBERS January/February 2024 • 39
