Arts groups clamor for recognition of impact

By SCOTT BARANCIK

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 1, 2001

You think the Super Bowl pumped a lot of dough into the Tampa Bay area's economy? Consider the impact local arts groups and venues supposedly are having.

Cultural organizations in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties generated an estimated $402-million in economic activity in 1999, said a study released Wednesday. By comparison, Sunday's Super Bowl was expected to produce $250-million.

"We've heard a lot about the economic impact of the Super Bowl," said Franci Rudolph, executive director of the Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts, which sponsored the study. "But has anybody heard about the economic impact of the arts?"

In an era when professional sports teams routinely use the threat of departure to extract money from their host cities, arts groups throughout the United States are finding they have to scramble for leftovers. What advocates need, Rudolph said, are hard numbers proving the arts are a sound investment.

Her committee's study may be particularly timely in Tampa. On Tuesday, architects will unveil the master plan for a 28-square-block downtown arts district along the Hillsborough River. New history and art museums are a key component.

"We passed a tax on ourselves in 1996 to build a $170-million football stadium, yet today our County Commission is challenging spending $17-million on a new local history museum," said Renee Williams, director of arts and cultural affairs for the City of Tampa.

For all the hoopla, economic impact reports are controversial. One source of debate is the use of so-called multipliers, which are used to determine how many times a dollar spent locally is re-spent in town. Rob Canton, who directed the study for PricewaterhouseCoopers, called his multiplier conservative.

Canton and his colleagues based the report on a survey of 92 area arts groups both large (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center) and small (Bits 'N' Pieces Puppet Theater). The accounting firm conducted the study for free.

A similar survey done by Deloitte & Touche in 1995 pegged the economic impact of the arts in the bay area at $232-million.

- Scott Barancik can be reached at (813) 226-3404 or barancik@sptimes.com.

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