Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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ARTS AND CULTURE CONTRIBUTED $9.8M TO SUMNER COUNTY’S ECONOMY IN 2022, A NEW IMPACT STUDY REVEALS.

Media Inquiries:

Cheryl Strichik: [email protected]

(615) 293-3767

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ARTS AND CULTURE CONTRIBUTED $9.8M TO SUMNER COUNTY’S ECONOMY IN 2022, A NEW IMPACT STUDY REVEALS.

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 12, 2023) – Sumner County’s creative community proved to be a true economic engine in 2022, according to the results of a new study.

Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study by the national arts advocacy group Americans for the Arts, found that arts and cultural organizations and their audiences generated $9,802,681 in economic activity in Sumner County during 2022. That figure includes $3.1 million in direct local spending by the arts organizations themselves, along with an additional $6.7 million in event-related expenditures by their audiences.

“This wonderful study from Americans for the Arts provides hard evidence of something we’ve long known,” says Cheryl Strichik, executive director of Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center. “The arts add value to our community, both aesthetically and economically.”

Americans for the Arts prepared its economic report on Sumner County in collaboration with the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, which served as the national’s organization’s community research partner. An additional 21 arts and cultural organizations in Sumner County participated in the research by completing surveys about their economic activity. Among the findings:

• Arts and cultural organizations in Sumner County supported 176 jobs, provided $8.3 million in personal income to residents, and generated $2.9 million in local, state and federal tax revenue.
• Attendees of arts and cultural events in Sumner County spent on average $34.73 per person and per event above the cost of admission.
• Arts and culture events enhanced the tourist economy, with 30.1 percent of attendees at local events traveling from other jurisdictions.
• More than 90 percent of attendees in Sumner County say their arts organizations inspire a sense of community pride.

Sumner County was not alone in benefiting from the arts, the study found. Nationally, the arts and cultural sector generated $151.7 billion in economic activity in 2022, with arts organizations spending $73.3 billion and their audiences contributing an additional $78.4 billion in event-related expenditures. Those outlays supported 2.6 million jobs and produced $29.1 billion in tax revenue.

Beyond economics, the study found that the arts are a fundamental component of livable communities – beautifying cities and towns, bringing joy to residents, and celebrating diverse cultural expressions and traditions. It powers creative communities where people want to live and work, where entrepreneurs and innovation thrive, and where businesses and nighttime economies flourish. In all, those shared cultural experiences strengthened our sense of collective belonging.

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) is a jewel-box art museum and education facility housed in one of Tennessee’s most spectacular antebellum mansions. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MACC has staged exhibitions featuring everything from the ceramic art of Pablo Picasso to the evening gowns of Princess Diana. The artwork of local artists and military veterans are also on frequent display. As an art school, the MACC offers classes to more than 600 children and adults each year. The MACC also provides free arts outreach and healing arts to underserved children, families and military veterans. For more information, visit www.monthavenarts.org or call (615) 822-0789.

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Kaylin Warden

External Affairs Coordinator

Kaylin Warden joined the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center staff in 2024 as External Affairs Coordinator. In this post, she organizes special off-site events and manages the organization’s external communications. She also works with the development department by updating the MACC’s customer relations database, and she assists the executive director in setting up exhibitions. Above all else, Kaylin is passionate about the arts. It comes as no surprise, then, that she is now pursuing a master’s degree in art history. When she’s not at the MACC, you can find her reading her favorite books (especially ones dealing with maritime mysteries), cooking, gardening, playing with her cat and two dogs, and cheering for the Nashville Predators.

Ruth Chase

Regional Arts Director
Ruth Chase is the Regional Arts Director of Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, joining the team in 2023. For Ruth, the job is all about community, bringing people together to uplift and educate artists and art lovers alike. Her role at Monthaven is to strengthen the local artist community and build connections that will enrich Hendersonville and our surrounding communities through art exhibitions, art education, and opportunities for regional artists.
 
Prior to joining Monthaven, Ruth worked in the arts for over 30 years and is a multimedia artist and graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute. Her artistic practice is inquiry-based and engages in community bridge-building. She was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles, curated and juried exhibitions, and has taught at the Crocker Art Museum.
 
Ruth was awarded an Artist-in-Residence for Artist Activating Communities through a grant from the California Arts Council for three consecutive years. Her film Belonging screened at both the 18th Annual Nevada City Film Festival and Wild & Scenic Film Festival. She has received the Legendary Female Artist of Venice award, and she has exhibited in The Crocker Kingsley, the Museum of Northern California Art, and the Diego Rivera Gallery at the San Francisco Art Institute. Ruth also continues her work as a Curatorial Consultant and Art director for the Californian Indigenous Research Project, where she has worked with the local tribe since 2018.