An Arts and Economic Prosperity study from Americans for the Arts evaluates economic contributions from cultural events in 373 regions across the nation.
In Orange County in 2022, about 5,000 people worked within the arts, and attendees of these events contributed 113 million dollars in expenditures.
Local residents contributed about 53 million of that total.
United Arts of Central Florida’s Director of Public Grants and Advocacy, Trudy Wild, said with these numbers, she believes Orange County and the Orlando region have great potential for the arts.
“We have a great richness here," Wild said. "And then combine that with the tourist traffic that we have coming here. It's kind of natural that we're going to be thriving, and we just need to keep building that.”
The United Arts of Central Florida, the county and the city of Orlando are working on a new arts and culture master plan to bolster the arts even further.
Wild said that representation is vital to the United Arts of Central Florida, and she emphasized the importance of representation and attendance from all communities.
“It's our job to help make art thrive," Wild said. "That's our tagline, to try to support and bring those opportunities together. We need to reach more into diverse communities."
