Talking Points: Why Are The Arts Important To Maryland?

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Arts advocates should be prepared to tell legislators the arts story in their districts, among their constituents.  Look at these general points and make it real for them! 
In a competitive, twenty-first century global environment, the arts support:

Education

  • Support quality education for our school children by raising academic achievement, fostering positive work ethic, and improving attendance.
  • Specifically, the arts positively impact
    • developmental growth of every child
    • attendance and graduation rates among school children
    • delinquency and truancy among youth at risk

Economic Development

  • Build communities that will attract and retain an educated, creative workforce.
  • Raise the regional, national, and international visibility of Maryland.
  • Attract cultural tourists to the State.
  • Drive much needed economic development.
  • Provide job growth, foster consumer spending, and generate tax revenues.
  • Specifically, in 2009, the most recent year for which we have statistics:
    • The arts provided 12,020 Marylanders full time jobs.
    • 8.8 million people attended Maryland arts events.
    • Together, arts operations and audience spending generated a total of $570 million in direct spending and a total economic impact of $1.14 billion.
    • Every dollar of direct spending on the arts generates $2 in expenditures on goods and services.
    • The arts generated $41.4 million in state and local taxes.

Quality of Life

  • Enhance the quality of life for all Marylanders.
  • Celebrate the rich diversity of our cultural achievements.