Do you know who Rena Blades is?

Did you know arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, $729.6 billion, in 2014?

Note the link below for “newly released Dept. of Commerce data”. The following is an excerpt from Rena Blades, the President and CEO of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, published in ArtsBlog, “For Arts Professionals in the Know”:

     Palm Beach County, Florida is a microcosm of that economic impact. Last year, a study we conducted with Surale Phillips and Americans for the Arts, “Economic Impact of Cultural Tourism in Palm Beach County,” revealed that the arts support nearly 12,000 jobs and more than $225 million in resident income, generating revenue of more than $538 billion.
     The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County has made it a priority to harness this economic power and put it to work to build more robust cultural facility infrastructure, promote arts districts, and cultivate an ever-stronger community of artists. [emphasis added]
     The private sector has a long and compelling history of philanthropic support for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, a fact that makes this County stand out over the rest of the State. In addition, the cultural sector is supporting private sector growth. We do this by promoting cultural tourism to a nationwide audience via advertising, public relations, and social media programs that talk about our cultural organizations, our hotels, and our restaurants. The Cultural Council knows that our marketing success equals tourist tax revenue, and tourist tax revenue is a win for our community.

and. . .

     During 2015, seven percent of hotel rooms in The Palm Beaches were filled by visitors who came here to experience art and culture. What makes Palm Beach County an incredible place to live, and a powerful draw for so many tourists, are the vibrant museums, theaters, ecological centers, and historical sites in our area. Palm Beach County boasts the largest nonprofit cultural sector per capita in the state, and in fact, any region south of Atlanta. This gives us an advantage over other beach destinations, and we’re working to keep it that way.
     The newly released Department of Commerce data is an opportunity for all of us in the arts to take the next step, leveraging our economic power and the tremendous impact we have on the travel, lodging, restaurant, transportation and retail industries.

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is a member of Americans for the Arts.