Calculating the economic impact of art and artists is notoriously difficult, but we at Southeast Conference wanted to better understand the role of the Southeast Alaska arts economy as a whole. The strong Southeast Alaska arts sector is an economic asset that stimulates business activity, generates tourism revenue, attracts and retains residents, and boosts quality of life. This publication, released in 2015 shows that altogether artist, arts organization, and audience spending in Southeast Alaska totaled an estimated $57.8 million in 2013. The study summarizes arts employment and wage data, as well as presenting the findings of The Economic Impact of Arts in Southeast Alaska Survey, which was taken by more than 600 artists and art organizations across the region.The study found that the arts economy is nearly three times as larger in Southeast Alaska than in the US as a whole, and is an important driver of the regional economy.
