Tennessee’s AEP6 Partners Are Building Momentum

From Shannon Ford, Director of Community Arts Development –

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study is underway in Tennessee, and 22 local partners across the state are working with the Tennessee Arts Commission and Americans for the Arts to measure the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences.

Starting on May 1, 2022, local partners (see below for a listing of partners and their service areas) began collecting audience intercept surveys for the year-long study. These anonymous 13-question surveys are designed to capture information about attendees’ arts event-related spending, demographics, and social impact. Local partners are utilizing paper surveys and contactless technology to capture this information.

The Commission and local partners are also compiling a comprehensive list of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the state. Americans for the Arts will survey these organizations about their revenues, expenditures, staff size, volunteers, and attendance (in-person and virtual) starting in January 2023. Organizations awarded Tennessee Arts Commission grants in fiscal years 2021-2023 are obligated to complete the AEP6 organizational survey as specified in clause A7 of their executed grant contracts.

The statewide, regional, and local study results will be released in September 2023 and will provide insight into how nonprofit arts and cultural organizations are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and reinvigorating community life and local economies. Data from the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study conducted in 2016 demonstrated that the nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $1.17 billion in total economic activity and supported over 38,000 full-time equivalent jobs across the state.

Contact Shannon Ford at 615-532-9796 or Melissa Moody at 615-253-5133 for more information.

Tennessee Local Partners – Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 Study