Arts Impact
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”
– Aristotle
“Our community celebrates and embraces music and the arts, seamlessly integrating art with our love for the outdoors. Outdoor concerts, music, and art festivals fill our summer and fall days. With over 250 art-related events this summer alone, it’s clear the arts are an anchor of our county’s identity. The concerts and artist markets are not only an integral part of our culture; they also help drive the economy. The latest study, conducted in 2023, revealed that audiences of nonprofit Art events generated $26.1 million; $9.3 million of that total came from indirect event-related activities, such as dining out, hotel stays, and shopping. The nonprofit and for-profit arts sector generated more than $48 million that same year in Watauga County.
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Nonprofit & for-profit Arts Sector generated $47 million dollars per year in Watauga County in 2022.
Creative Economy
Impact Data
The Western North Carolina snapshot includes the 23 member counties of WNC Arts. Data from 40 core arts industries was gathered using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to estimate industry activity, and the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System was used to identify 41 core arts occupations.
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The Creative Economy was majorly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in March 2020. Creative Industry Earnings in Western North Carolina grew 21% from 2015-2020, but declined 6% from 2020-2021.
The impact of the arts is significant in North Carolina…
Impact Breakdown
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Top Creative Jobs
Grew 17% from 2015-2020 to 18,645, but declined 9% from 2020-2021 to 15,994.
Photographers, musicians, singers, writers, authors, graphic designers, and art dealers.
Held by 82% white workers, and 18% BIPOC workers in 2021. Male workers held 51% of these jobs, while females workers made up 49%. The majority of creative jobs were held by workers ages 25-34 and 35-44.
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Total Sales Industries
Independent artists, writers, and performers; jewelry stores; motion picture and video production; jewelry stores; art dealers; and jewelry, watch, precious stone, and precious metal merchant wholesalers; and musical instrument manufacturing.
Reached $782,906,368 in 2021 ($392,687,716 in-region and $390,218,652 exported).
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Top Earning Industries
Independent artists, writers, and performers; graphic design services; jewelry stores; art dealers; and jewelry, watch, precious stone, and precious metal merchant wholesalers.