Everywhere arts councils, arts organizations, museums must justify their budgets to their granting agencies that the arts and our humble art fairs are a boon for the locales where they are held. July 14 & 15 a big art fair is held in Madison, WI, the Art Fair on the Square. Here is information about the economic benefits of the event:

The overall economic impact of the fair on the local community is estimated at $25 million, according to a 2011 Chamberlain Research survey. It showed that on average, art fair attendees spent $127 per day on purchases unrelated to the actual art -- namely food, accommodations, and other travel expenses.

As artists we watch the people come and go, hands full of food, filling the parking lots and restaurants, stopping in the stores, refueling their cars and we know a lot of money is changing hands and well run, well attended art fairs are a boon to the local economy.

Here is the rest of the article: Art Fair on the Square brings thousands of wallets to downtown Madison

I am posting this here because I want you to save this article and use it whenever you have a chance to help your local cultural organization get money to support their programs. Keeping the money flowing, especially to the non-profit art fairs is good not only for artists but for the communities we care about.

I'd like to build a library of articles like this so art fair organizers can have access to them to show to their constituencies. Can you add any to this?

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  • Hey Connie-  Art Fair Off the Square is also happening in Madison this weekend!  Located a couple of blocks over from the square, this is a WAAC show (WI artists only).  Between the two fairs in the same area, there will be approximately 600 artists.  Many, many shoppers hit both shows, making Madison THE place to be for art this weekend!  I will be participating in Art Fair Off the Square, booth 127.

  • A few years ago there was an article in The Boston Globe that major art events such as a blockbuster museum show are larger money makers for a city than a major sporting event like the Superbowl.  The arts event draws more affluent visitors who spend more money in restaurants, shopping in stores and sleeping in higher end hotels than sports fans.  The sports fans are usually not in the area long enough to shop, sightsee or interested in dining in gourmet restaurants.  About the only thing the sports fans have no control over is hotel prices since most hotels do not offer any discounts when there is a blockbuster sports event like the World Series, Super Bowl, etc.

     

    martha 

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