Omaha’s arts and culture industry is one the city can count on, according to a new report released last week.
The Arts and Economic Prosperity report shows arts and culture provides for 3,400 full-time jobs, both directly and indirectly, in Omaha.
Marjorie Maas, Director of Nebraskans for the Arts, says the city’s arts and culture organizations provided 89 million dollars worth of economic impact last year, making up half of the state’s 174 million.
She says comments from Omaha leaders such as Mayor Jim Suttle, and Omaha Steaks’ Senior VP Todd Simon, demonstrated the significance of the arts industry.
"For the mayor to say that the economic impact of things like the Egypt exhibit and how much that means to him as a Mayor and as a city official that was astounding. To have Todd Simon underscore how much he appreciates the impact of the arts, especially as seen through his lens of working at the Bemis Center, as their leader. That was bolstering to the people in the room that were part of the arts community.”
The Arts and Economic Prosperity IV study was conducted by Americans for the Arts and supported by the Ruth Lilly Fund of Americans for the Arts.
The full report is available online at nebraskansforthearts.org.