Newton's arts and culture sector generated $19.3 million in economic activity, according to a report the Economic Development Commission will review Tuesday, Oct. 13. The sector supported 651 full-time equivalent jobs.

The data comes from a 2021 study by Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the nonprofit then known as Newton Community Pride, now called Spark Newton. The report used fiscal year 2019 expenditure figures and 2021 social impact survey responses.

Arts and Culture Director Meryl Kessler will present the findings under the agenda item "Tracking Arts & Culture Impact on Economic Development" at 7 p.m. in Room 204 at Newton City Hall. Hybrid participation is available via Zoom.

The report included in the EDC's meeting packet breaks the $19.3 million into $18.3 million from arts organizations and nearly $970,000 from audience spending. The sector generated $13.6 million in household income for Newton residents, $681,533 in revenue to the city and $988,370 to the state.

Of arts event attendees surveyed in 2021, 37% came from outside Newton, spending an average of $14.66 per visit on meals, parking and other event-related costs. Volunteers donated 14,310 hours in fiscal year 2019, valued at $389,232.

The Brandeis team, selected from 30 proposals for the Heller School's MBA Capstone Project, modeled its analysis on the Americans for the Arts' Economic Prosperity framework, as first reported by Patch when the study was published in 2021.

The presentation comes as the EDC's Vitality of Village Centers Working Group, led by Commissioner Marcela Merino with Ramzi Elfekih and Chair Jane Obbagy, explores ways to link arts programming with commercial activity across Newton's 13 village centers. EDC Vice Chair Chuck Tanowitz outlined the group's three priorities in a March 23 Newton Beacon column: defining Newton's cultural identity, activating public spaces and building business-cultural partnerships.

Mayor Marc Laredo created the Arts and Culture Department when he took office in January. At a Sept. 17 Cultural Council grant reception, Kessler said the mayor's decision to create the department and the City Council's unanimous support "sent a strong and clear message that Newton truly values the arts and culture," as reported by the Newton Beacon.

Gloria Gavris, then board chair of Newton Community Pride, said when the report was released in 2021 that the arts are vital to the economic health of Newton's village centers.

The EDC's next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10.