Arts Advocacy Week 2026: Day Three
Ed. note: Welcome to Arts Advocacy Week in South Carolina, as organized by the South Carolina Arts Alliance. The Hub will be amplifying messages from the SCAA, our partner, as they highlight the different ways that the arts help build a stronger South Carolina. As a state agency, the South Carolina Arts Commission does not engage in or promote or encourage specific advocacy efforts, including and especially those pertaining to the SCAC, but we do provide public information related to our work, budget requests to the executive and legislative branches of state government, and general issues affecting arts and creativity in our state. The following information falls into the “public information” and “general issues” categories.
Today is all about the numbers — because when it comes to the arts the economic impact is undeniable.
Check out these resources to get your bearings, and start thinking about how you can show support for the arts this week!
Arts + Economy
The arts are an industry, and a booming one at that.
- South Carolina’s creative sector is responsible for a $14.1 BILLION annual economic impact, supporting 123,550 jobs and returning an estimated $360.2 million in annual tax revenue (South Carolina Arts Commission).
- Nationwide, arts attendees spend an average of $38.46 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on meals, parking, lodging, and more.
- Nonlocal attendees average $60.57, and 77% said that they traveled to the community specifically to attend that arts and culture event (Americans for the Arts).
Arts travelers are ideal tourists, staying longer and spending more to seek out authentic culture experiences (Americans for the Arts).
Arts + Economic Prosperity
Zoom out and learn about the nationwide impact of the arts and culture sector with this study from Americans for the Arts. South Carolina had two organizations participate in this study: Arts Council of York County and Chapman Cultural Center (Spartanburg County).
The highlights:
- Arts and culture organizations and their audiences generate over $151 billion in economic activity.
- 79% of respondents believe that arts and culture are important to their community’s economy, businesses, and jobs.
- 86% believe that arts and culture are important to their community’s quality of life and livability.
See the Spartanburg Data | See the York County Data
Raise Your Voice
Hop on social media and let everyone know that the arts are an industry — and a pretty big one!
Follow the SCAA on social media to tune into more advocacy content:
- Facebook.
- Instagram.
- Join the celebration using the Social Media Toolkit.