History of local Performing Arts In the 19th century, the performing arts were provided to the American public exclusively by commercial or amateur artists and organizations. Unlike Europe during this period, there was essentially no government support of the arts and very little tradition Of upper-class patronage. (I) Most performing arts groups were for-pronto enterprises managed by individual owners. They made little distinction between the high arts and popular arts in terms of either programming or audiences and performed to mixed crowds that engaged from the working to the upper-class. 1) In the first years of the 20th century, the commercial touring companies began to decline. Many proprietary live performing arts organizations disappeared in the face of the new technologies-?first film, then recorded music, radio, and ultimately television. (1) By end of sass there were over 1000 non-commercial theatres including college and community theatres in the U. S. Federal Theatre project Produced phenomenal variety and quality of productions all over, with different kinds of ongoing projects and companies.
Eventually congress challenged the content of productions as subversive propaganda and dangerous. (2) Nevada was ranked number by growth in number of nonprofit theaters from 1990-2005 (3) Based on an adult population (18*) of 185. 8 million, an estimated 25. 1 million U. S. Adults attended live Stage plays in 1992, compared to 20 million in 1982 when the adult population was 164 million. (3) Great Recession losses were swift and measurable: The two-year decline in the Index, from 2007 to 2009, was device as large as the gains made during the preceding four years, between 2003 and 2007 (4)
The arts industries continue to follow the nation’s business cycle: While it may be no surprise that the arts track the economy, most people are unaware of the size Of the sector. The arts are an economic force of 113,000 nonprofit arts organizations and nearly 800,000 more arts businesses, 2. 2 million artists in the workforce, plus billions of dollars in consumer spending, The Index is strong when consumer confidence and GAP growth are strong. (4) National Performing Arts Industry Arts attendance begins to rebound: In 2010, 32 percent of the adult population attended a performing arts event (LIP from 28 percent in 2009); (4)
Significant growth in the number Of nonprofit arts organizations: The number Of nonprofit arts organizations continued to grow, reaching 1 13,000 in 2010. In the past decade, the number Of nonprofit arts organizations grew 49 percent (76,000 to 113,000), a greater rate than all nonprofit organizations, which grew 32 percent (I . 2 million to 1. 6 million). (4) Arts organizations foster creativity and entrepreneurship: Arts organizations are homes to new ideas and innovative leaders. Between 2005 and 2010, there was a 14 percent increase in the number of new opera, theater, film, and symphony arks-?an impressive 1,025 premieres in 2010 alone. 4) The Index is set to a base score of 100 in 2003; every point difference is a one percent change trot that year. There is no uppermost index score, though higher is better, A score of 125 would convey that arts are more highly integrated as a fundamental component of society than during the past decade characterized by strong financial health, ample capacity, innovation, vigorous participation, and a vital competitive position in American society. (8) The 2012 National Arts Index delivers a 2010 score of the health and vitality of he arts in the US.
Last years report bears witness to how the arts sector fared during the Great Recession. In 2010, the index rose slightly from a revised 96. 3 to 96. 7 The U. S. Performing arts industry is supported by nearly 8,840 organizations with a total Of 127,648 paid workers. These organizations generate nearly 513. 6 billion in annual revenues, according to recent estimates. (10) Americans recently spent an annual total of $14. 5 billion on performing arts admissions. (10) On any given day, 1. 5 million Americans attend arts performances, usually with family or friends. 0) Local Performing Arts Industry The arts and culture sector represents an important industry with considerable multiplier impacts on regional economies, creating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and tax revenue and over 1 1,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Lass Vegas Valley in 2007. (II) The return on investment has been calculated nationally to be more than eight times that of each dollar invested. The local return is estimated to be much higher, given that many artists cross over into the commercial entertainment sector associated with the gaming industry.
