New Hampshire: Commission to Study the Economic Impact of Arts and Culture

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA) is asking state residents to share stories—in 500 words or less—about the economic, educational and social benefits of the arts and culture in their communities. NHSCA is collecting these impact narratives as part of its contribution to the recently launched New Hampshire Commission to Study the Economic Impact of Arts and Culture. NHSCA is one of 17 members of the commission, which was legislatively created in 2015 and includes other state agencies, state lawmakers and representatives from the state’s arts and culture sector. It is tasked with recommending how legislators and policymakers can take action to enhance and expand the creative economy. Since convening, the commission has met with numerous stakeholders and worked with students from Dartmouth College’s Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy to aggregate existing economic impact data. The initiative will culminate in a final report to the legislature, which will include NHSCA’s analysis of arts and culture data from the for-profit, nonprofit and public sectors. Contact NHSCA Executive Director Ginnie Lupi to learn more.