Art and cultural events such as the concerts in the city's park stimulate both the economy and the local art scene. File photo.
Coronado loves art, and that can be big business, a study finds.
For every dollar an arts and cultural organization spends in Coronado, an additional $1.83 is generated in their economy. In comparison, the average return in San Diego County is $0.87 per dollar spent.
“Nonprofits are a driving force that contributes to our local economy,” Deb Kaller, chairwoman of the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission, said at the Dec. 19 Coronado City Council meeting.
Coronado participated for the first time in the Arts and Economic Report, a nationwide study by Americans for the Arts that quantifies the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industries in cities. Kaller and her colleagues presented the results of the study to the council at Tuesday's meeting.
The study found that Coronado's arts and cultural nonprofits spent $13.9 million on their events in 2022, while audiences spent $25.3 million attending those events. Participants spent an average of $45.34 per person per event attended.
Nearly half of that viewer spending was on food and drink, with retail purchases, clothing and accessories, supplies and groceries, accommodation and child care accounting for the remainder.
CCAC officials said the study provided useful insights for further strengthening the local arts and culture community.
“We believe that working with Discover Coronado, the (Coronado) Chamber of Commerce and Coronado MainStreet would create more opportunities to engage our businesses,” said Dawn Richards, vice chair of the commission.
One idea, she said, is to work with restaurants to stay open late after certain events and direct attendees there if they want something to eat or drink afterward.
The report also helps the Commission understand its target groups. Richards said the commission was surprised to learn how many of its viewers came from outside Coronado. While the audience was 40% Coronadans, 46% of attendees came from San Diego County and the rest came from elsewhere.
And external guests spend much more than the local audience. In Coronado, residents spent $36.86 per event attended, while non-locals spent $98.78.
“Given that non-locals here spend more and contribute to our economy, it makes sense to focus on cultural and arts tourism,” Richards said. “A focus on this type of tourism would solidify Coronado’s reputation as a place for the arts.”
The study examined 373 regions within the country. In Coronado specifically, CCAC surveyed 29 organizations and attended 16 local events to survey audiences. Coronado, in collaboration with other local cities, contributed to the study for $2,550. The City Council approved the city's participation in the study in 2021.
The results also analyzed volunteer hours: In Coronado, 2,004 volunteers donated 85,533 hours to arts and cultural organizations and events.
The city council agreed that art is important not only to the ethos of the city, but also as a force to stimulate the economy.
“One of the things that has always been on my mind when it comes to why we fund the things we do,” said Councilwoman Carrie Downey, “is whether that’s what residents want to do with their money .”
She said she was pleased with the high level of local participation in the events, but more importantly, the volunteer hours solidified the CCAC as a desired public good.
“Why are we doing all this?” She continued. “Well, because of all those 2,000 people. This is how they want to spend their time. This is an activity, just like we want leisure activities, we want passive recreation.”
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