Metro Denver’s cultural scene generated $1.8 billion in spending last year, slightly less than in 2013 as organizations coped with a 9 percent drop in paid attendance and invested less money upgrading their venues, according to a study released Wednesday by the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts.
The study, which the nonprofit CBCA releases every two years, is based on grant reports from about 300 organizations that participate in the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District, which covers the seven-county metro area.
The SCFD, which collects a penny out of every $10 in sales tax charged, distributed $53.2 million to arts, cultural and scientific groups last year, a 14.6 percent increase from 2013. Ballot issue 4B, up for a vote in November, seeks to extend that taxing authority through 2030.
The study shows a mixed picture, with SCFD organizations still making significant contributions culturally and economically, but struggling to grow their audiences.
Attendance at cultural events came in at 13.9 million last year, down 1.8 percent from 2013, according to the study. Paid attendance dropped 9 percent, which organizations countered with a 3 percent boost in free admissions and more discounted tickets.
“Certain organizations did big collaborations (in 2013), which were one-time events, and then didn’t do them in 2014, and some shifted programming or moved out of the district,” said Meredith Badler, program manager for the CBCA. “So some of that is the natural ebb and flow of arts programming.”
But the struggle to remain relevant isn’t a new one. The CBCA in 2005 counted attendance of 14.1 million, more than in 2015. Over that decade, the number of people living within the SCFD is up nearly 500,000, or 20 percent, and SCFD distributions rose 39 percent. Yet, overall attendance — paid and free — has remained stagnant.
On the plus side, cultural tourism is on the upswing and is funneling more outside dollars into the metro economy. Visitors from outside the Denver area accounted for 18 percent of attendance and spent $367 million last year — the most ever — based on reports that date back to 1992.
In another positive trend, employment at the metro area’s arts, science and cultural organizations rose 5 percent from 2013 to 10,731 jobs. Those workers earned $165.2 million, up 9.6 percent from 2013.
“Colorado has been on the upper end of job growth and employment, and when you look at our numbers, they’re moving even faster, so jobs are one of the things we’re most proud of,” Badler said.
The upswing helped employment reach pre-Great Recession levels, “and that’s definitely something the governor’s paying attention to,” she said.
Gov. John Hickenlooper and officials from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and other institutions were among the nearly 500 people who attended a Wednesday morning gathering at the Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex to tout the report.
The $1.8 billion in economic activity last year includes $860 million spent by organizations, $694 million spent by audiences and $55 million in capital spending on facilities.
Capital spending dropped 41 percent from 2013, a year when several groups were upgrading their facilities at the same time.
Other findings in the CBCA report, which looked at the 2015 calendar year, include:
- Organizations counted on contributions for 44 percent of their budgets, relying on earned income, such as ticket sales, for the remainder
- Seat, sales and payroll taxes were $19.8 million, up 7 percent from 2013
- Patrons gave $176.4 million to the arts, up 5.5 percent from 2013
- The number of volunteers dropped 4.5 percent to 42,415, but they contributed 15 percent more hours than in 2013
- Cultural and arts outreach programs benefited 3.9 million children in 2015, 6.9 percent fewer than reached in 2013
Although attendance may not be rising, engagement in the arts remains high, as shown in an Aug. 30 report from the National Endowment for the Arts. The report ranked Colorado’s cultural scene among the best in the nation, including a third-place ranking for a 44.4 percent rate of overall attendance for live music, theater or dance shows. Nationally, that engagement rate is 31.6 percent.
“Our study is independent of those (other ones), but we look at all of them and cite them to give our report context,” Badler said. “Our stable and frankly amazing attendance numbers track with the national rankings.”