AEP6 Study

FRAA is very excited to announce that we will be participating in a national study conducted by Americans for the Arts called Arts & Economic Prosperity, also known as AEP.   FRAA along with Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Coast for the Arts, Travel Oregon will lead the efforts to capture data for the Florence Region including Yachats and Gardiner.

After more than one year of postponement, the AEP6 study will begin in May 2022 and go through April 2023. AEP6 documents the economic contributions of the arts in over 387 diverse communities and regions across the country. It will be more important than ever to demonstrate that, even in the wake of COVID-19 and the resulting economic recession, the arts will provide a significant boost as we recharge the economy in America’s local communities.

The first component is to measure the impact of cultural audiences in the Florence Region. We use audience-intercept surveys where patrons are asked to complete a short survey about their event-related spending. Audience surveys will be collected at performances, events, exhibits, venues, and facilities for 12 months from May 2022 through April 2023.

We hope to identify 20 to 30 cultural activities to collect surveys throughout the year. We have committed to collecting a minimum of 800 surveys. We want to identify a broad range of artistic disciplines and venues to collect surveys.

The second component of the study involves eligible nonprofit organizations located in our community. Americans for the Arts will conduct an economic impact survey of organizations from January through April 2023. The survey will collect information about the organization’s revenues, expenditures, physical attendance, staff size, and volunteers.

The survey will also include diversity and inclusion questions designed to identify organizations that primarily serve a community of color and organizations with a chief executive who identifies as a person of color.

Our steering committee includes:

• Harlen Springer, Oregon Arts Commission and Leading the AEP6 Study
• Kristin Anderson, Florence Regional Arts Alliance
• Jo Beaudreau, BeauxArts Fine Art Materials and Gallery
• Maree Beers, C.R.O.W.
• Jesse Dolan, Oregon Coast Visitors Association
• Bettina Hannigan, Florence Area Chamber of Commerce
• Susy Lacer, Siuslaw Vision

We need your help!

1. We need volunteers to help us collect the data at one or more events.  If you are interested, please send an email to AEP6Florence@gmail.com.
2. Help support this effort by spending a few minutes to complete the survey when you see our Volunteers.

You can learn more about AEP6 study at the Americans for the Arts.