Art groups are using a new sales pitch these days with potential contributors. Forget art for art's sake. A healthy dose of arts and culture also can help stimulate economic growth in a community, arts proponents say. In Charlotte alone, the nonprofit arts industry pumped $31.2 million into the local economy in 1994, according to a study for the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte/Mecklenburg. A similar study by The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County found that the council and its 13 member groups create 236 full-time jobs that annually generate $5.2 million in wages and $440,000 in state and local taxes.

The importance of the arts in economic development is being recognized by cities and states across the country. For example, the states of Oklahoma and Kentucky have identified the promotion of arts and cultural attractions as key elements in their economic development plans. In North Carolina, the most recent statewide study examining the economic impact of the arts was released in the late 1980's by the Governor's Business Council on the Arts and Humanities, a private group of business and foundation leaders and individuals who are interested in the arts. That study estimated that nonprofit arts groups generated $331 million for the state's economy in 1987, not including the impact of individual artists and commercial arts forms. (p. 56)