CRREO awarded grant to measure impact of the arts in the Mid-Hudson Valley

New Paltz―The Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO) at SUNY New Paltz has been awarded a grant from the New York Community Trust’s Arts & Culture Research Fund to measure the economic impact of the arts in the seven counties of the Mid-Hudson region.

CRREO was among six nonprofits awarded a total of $110,000 to support research that seeks to create a deeper understanding of the role that arts and culture play in New York State. Grantees will use the Cultural Data Project (CDP) as a primary source of data. CDP, which started in New York State in 2009 and now operates in thirteen states, allows arts and cultural organizations enter financial, program, and operational data into a standardized online form.

CRREO’s 2010 Regional Well-Being report identified arts and culture as a significant regional strength. For example, outside of New York City, Ulster County has one of the highest per capita number of jobs in the sector in the state. This project will extend CRREO’s research and reporting on arts and culture to include a systematic measurement of the economic impact of the sector on the Mid-Hudson regional and county-level economies. Each dollar spent on the arts in our region circulates and this project will provide precise quantification of the resultant direct and indirect fiscal impacts. Led by KT Tobin, CRREO Associate Director the research team includes Janis Benincasa (Dorsky Museum/CRREO), Julie Chiarito (Institutional Research), and Eve Waltermaurer (Sociology/CRREO).

Tobin states, “In tough economic times, we must make a strong, empirically sound case that arts and culture is good for both our spirits and our pocketbooks. The Economic Impact of Arts & Culture in the Mid-Hudson project expands upon what we know about the economic impacts of art and culture, which will better inform policy officials and elected leaders about the vital role of this sector in the Mid-Hudson region, reinforcing and complementing state efforts to build historical- and cultural-based tourism here.”

The Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO), established in 2007, engages the State University of New York at New Paltz with communities, governments, not-for-profits, and businesses across our region. We conduct and publicize research on regional topics; create and direct select institutes focusing on specific topics of regional interest; connect and partner with local governments, not-for-profits, and businesses to initiate reforms and advocate for best practices; contract to assess the performance of public and not-for-profit agencies and programs; and work to foster intergovernmental collaboration and community engagement. Our goal is to bring key regional concerns to the attention of citizens and policymakers to support their informed discussion of the public policy problems facing the Mid-Hudson region.

The Arts & Culture Research Fund was set up in The New York Community Trust in 2012 with the encouragement of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. It is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The John R. Oishei Foundation, The New York Community Trust, and The New York Council for the Humanities. The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts are represented on the fund’s advisory committee.