The Piqua Arts Council’s 2022 Sounds of the Season event.
Submitted photo | Ganger Images
PIQUA — Piqua Arts Council (PAC) has enriched the Piqua community for the past 31 years in many ways. It has provided quality entertainment such as Rock Piqua and Sounds of the Season at no or low cost to patrons. It has provided personal enrichment such as artist workshops featuring internationally awarded instructors, Art 4 Everyone that offers hands-on experiences to novices in all aspects of the arts, and the Creative Classrooms program that exposes elementary school students to the performing arts. But Piqua Arts Council has a much wider impact on our community than simply entertainment and personal enrichment. Its economic effect on Piqua is dramatic.
Research done by the national arts advocacy group Americans for the Arts has shown that arts organizations have an economic impact on their local communities. For every dollar that PAC spends directly in Piqua through purchasing items such as workshop supplies or catered food, those who attend their events spend an additional 50 cents in associated costs such as baby sitter fees, clothing purchases, transportation costs and dining expenses which add to direct spending by PAC.
The most recent regional survey that was taken in this area of the country by Americans for the Arts found that each patron of an arts event spends an average of $17.87 beyond the cost of admission to an arts event. If that patron travels more than 20 miles, the figure rises to $30.17. PAC programming that impacts over 5,000 patrons each year adds an amazing $300,000 to the Piqua economy; $200,000 in direct spending by PAC and an additional $100,000 by its patrons.
PAC also influences the development of the local workforce. Workers who anticipate moving to another location consider more than just their prospective salaries. They look for communities with affordable activities that will enrich their lives and those of their families. They consider not only what kind of housing is available and what their employment opportunities are, they consider the recreational possibilities of a community. That’s where PAC shines! The year-round, low-cost offerings for all ages help to make Piqua an attractive community in which to relocate and encourage a stable workforce that will serve the needs of local employers. PAC is much more than entertainment. It is an attraction to possible community residents and a vital part of Piqua’s ongoing economic development.
