The arts industry has a sizable impact on the City of Norman economy, creating and supporting 600 jobs, generating over $36 million in economic impact, bring audiences totaling 750,000 to festivals, concerts and other programs, over 200,000 visitors and $25 million in audience spending.

But it’s more than just a numbers game. The arts and our community traditions cultivate civic pride, bring our neighbors together and are of vital importance to the quality of life of residents and surrounding communities.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

In Norman, arts and culture generated over $36 million in economic activity, including spending by nonprofits arts and culture organizations together with audience spending. The arts also generated more than $6 million in local, state, and federal tax revenue.

COMMUNITY TOGETHER

Arts events and programs bring the community together in a big way, with nearly 750,000 attendees at festivals, concerts and more, like 2nd Friday Norman, Norman Music Festival, Jazz in June, Sooner Theatre productions, Summer Breeze Concert Series and more.

AUDIENCE SPENDING

Audience spending injected almost $25 million into the community, not including ticket costs. These numbers include spending by event attendees for things like restaurant meals, drinks, parking, or childcare.

LOCAL JOBS

During the time of the most-recent study, the arts industry supported nearly 600 jobs in Norman. These include not only arts administrators, but other working artists, musicians, performers and other businesses that rely on community art events to thrive.

DRIVING TOURISM

Arts and culture events drew 215,861 visitors from outside Cleveland County. Nonresident attendees spent an average of 87% more per person than local attendees ($49.36 vs. $26.37). When a community attracts cultural tourists, it realizes significant economic rewards.

VOLUNTEER POWERED

A total of 2,602 volunteers donated 80,375 hours to Norman’s 31 participating arts and culture organizations, a donation of time estimated at $2.2 million.

Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6)

Norman Arts Council partnered with Americans for the Arts for Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), the sixth national study of the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry.

While the arts have the potential to impact many aspects of our community, the truth is they also have a power all on their own. The arts are an open invitation to engage in our history, our heritage, our politics, the way we learn—in short, the arts are part of our daily lives, and play a role in all aspects of the human experience.

Economic impact studies such as these expand the conversation about how many people view the arts. While most appreciate the cultural benefit provided to our community, few realize that our local arts industry supports jobs, generates government revenue, and is a cornerstone of tourism.

The newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is an economic and social impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most accessible study of its kind, AEP6 provides detailed findings on 373 regions from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico—ranging in population from 4,000 to 4 million—and representing rural, suburban, and large urban communities.

In 2022, nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences generated $151.7 billion in economic activity—$73.3 billion in spending by the organizations, which leveraged an additional $78.4 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. The impact of this economic activity is far reaching, supporting 2.6 million jobs, generating $29.1 billion in tax revenue, and providing $101 billion in personal income to residents. AEP6 sends a strong signal that when we support the arts, we are investing in both economic and community well-being.

Norman Arts Council has announced that Cleveland County nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $36,081,185 in economic activity in 2022, according to the newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. That economic activity–$11,624,519 in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and $24,456,666 in event-related spending by their audiences–supported 596 jobs and generated $6,422,016 in local, state, and federal government revenue. Spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce to local merchants, a value-add that few other industries can compete with.

Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most accessible study of its kind, AEP6 uses a rigorous methodology to document the economic and social contributions of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. The study demonstrates locally as well as nationally, arts and culture are a critical economic driver of vibrant communities.

Nationally, the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study reveals that America’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry—one that supports 2.6 million jobs and generates $29.1 billion in government revenue.

“Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents,” said Nolen V. Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “When we invest in nonprofit arts and culture, we strengthen our economy and build more livable communities.”

AEP6 represents a reset from its previous versions, establishing a new benchmark in the AEP study series.

  • Social Impact: For the first time, AEP6 expands beyond the economic and financial data to include social impact measurements of arts and culture’s effect on the well-being of communities and residents.

  • Access and Opportunity: AEP6 broke new ground by prioritizing access, community engagement, and opportunities. With the goal of reducing systemic bias, Americans for the Arts transformed its approach and expanded the involvement and participation of organizations serving or representing BIPOC- (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and ALAANA- (African, Latine, Asian, Arab, Native American) identifying communities.

Nationally, the extensive research reveals proportional economic and community impacts among attendees at BIPOC and ALAANA organizations to the overall national average. These findings should initiate new, and escalate existing, critical funding conversations about BIPOC and ALAANA organizations receiving fair and proportional financial support.

Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) provides compelling evidence that the nonprofit arts and culture sector is a significant industry in Norman, OK.

Key figures from the City of Norman’s AEP6 study include:

  • The City of Norman nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $24.5 million in event-related spending by its audiences.

  • The typical attendee spends $33.09 per person per event, not including the cost of admission.

  • 29% of arts and culture attendees were from outside the county in which the activity took place. They spent an average of $49. All vital income for local merchants.

  • 87% of respondents agreed that the activity or venue they were attending was “a source of neighborhood pride for the community.” 

  • 84% said they would “feel a sense of loss if that activity or venue was no longer available.”

AEP6 demonstrates the significant economic and social benefits that arts and culture brings to their communities, states, and the nation. By measuring arts and culture’s wide-ranging impact, public and private sector leaders can work together to secure funding and arts-friendly policies that shape more vibrant and equitable communities.

The full report, a map of the 373 study regions, including Norman, OK and a two-page economic impact summary for each, can be found at AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org.

About Norman Arts Council

Since 1976, the Norman Arts Council has supported Norman’s rich history of public art, evens, and arts education. Our exhibits, art walks, arts education experiences, and festivals draw more than 1,000,000 visitors each year to a community that supports the arts and understands that arts are what make Norman Beautiful.

About the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 Study

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. It was supported by The Ruth Lilly Endowment Fund of Americans for the Arts. Americans for the Arts' 297 study partners contributed both time and financial support to the study.

For a full list of the communities who participated in the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study, visit AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org.