BELFAST — The Arts Mean Business. That is the message being delivered by The Belfast Creative Coalition, who announced it has joined the Arts & Economic Prosperity® 5, a national study measuring the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences.

The research study is being conducted by Americans for the Arts, the nation's nonprofit organization advancing the arts and arts education. It is the fifth study over the past 20 years to measure the impact of arts spending on local jobs, income paid to local residents, and revenue generated to local and state governments.

As one of nearly 300 study partners across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, The Belfast Creative Coalition and other cultural organizations will collect detailed financial data aboutthe local nonprofit arts and culture organizations such as the theater and dance companies, museums, festivals, and arts education organizations.

"Many people don't think of nonprofit arts organizations as businesses," said Thomas Kittredge, economic development director for the City of Belfast, in a news release, "But this study will make clear that the arts are a formidable industry in our community — employing people locally, purchasing goods and services from local merchants, and helping to drive tourism and economic development."

The Coalition will also collect surveys from attendees at arts events using a short, anonymous questionnaire that asks how much money they spent on items such as meals, parking and transportation, and retail shopping specifically as a result of attending the event.

Previous studies have shown that the average attendee spends $24.60 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission. Those studies have also shown that, on average, 32 percent of arts attendees travel from outside the county in which the arts event took place, and that those cultural tourists typically spend nearly $40 per person — generating important revenue for local businesses and demonstrating how the arts drive revenue for other businesses in the community.

Surveys will be collected throughout calendar year 2016. The results of the study will be released in June of 2017.

"We are excited to finally have real numbers about the arts economic impact to our area," said Kimberly Callas, Belfast Creative Coalition's executive director, in the news release. "This study will show that when we support the arts in Belfast, we are making an investment in an industry, one that supports jobs and generates government revenue, and is the cornerstone of tourism."

According to Americans for the Arts' most recent national study, the nonprofit arts industry generated $135.2 billion in total economic activity and supported 4.1 million full-time equivalent jobs during 2010, resulting in $22.3 billion in federal, state and local government revenues.

The $135.2 billion total included $61.1 billion in spending by arts organizations and $74.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences on items such as meals, local transportation and overnight lodging. Complete details about the fiscal year 2010 study are available at AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.

"Our Arts & Economic Prosperity series demonstrates that the arts are an economic and employment powerhouse both locally and across the nation," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, in the release. "Leaders who care about community and economic vitality can feel good about choosing to invest in the arts. Nationally as well as locally, the arts mean business."

Americans for the Arts' Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study is supported by The Ruth Lilly Fund of Americans for the Arts. In addition, Americans for the Arts' local and statewide study partners are contributing both time and a cost-sharing fee support to the study. For a full list of the nearly 300 Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study partners, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org/AEP5Partners.

Since its inception in early 2012, the Belfast Creative Coalition's mission is to cultivate arts and culture to attract people and business to the Belfast area.

Within a 20 mile radius of Belfast is a rich concentration of artistic talent, individual craftsmanship and cultural heritage that deserves to be recognized and promoted, according to the release. Recognizing the Belfast area's three gems of art, local food and beautiful land, BCC boosts the efforts of this local, well-recognized and highly-respected cluster of arts, cultural and farm endeavors.

For more information, visit belfastcreativecoalition.org.