Arts & Culture Impact 

Partner With an Artist

Since its inception in 2005, PWA has provided grants to artists to create new work in any medium: visual, performing, multimedia art,in partnership with local businesses. PWA is an opportunity for artists to make collaborative work outside of traditional visual art spaces, thereby challenging them to think about their work and their roles as artists in new ways. This year, PWA will connect with three of Cape Ann’s Cultural Districts: Essex River, Harbortown and Rocky Neck. Each completed project will be presented within a Cultural District for the public to experience and enjoy. PWA supports artists and encourages creative new work that connects to the local community and that will attract residents and visitors to explore and enjoy the Cultural District.

To learn more about Partner With an Artist, click here.

Cape Ann Cultural District Mobile App

In collaboration with the four Cape Ann cultural districts and the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, and with the support of an Adams Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council,seARTS has helped launch a superlative and easy-to-use Cape Ann arts and culture travel guide. Users can download this FREE mobile app from Apple and Android stores.

seARTS Visitor Surveys

seARTS was founded on the principle that arts and culture has and will continue to impact the quality of life and economic landscape of Cape Ann.   However, the key is to find ways to measure the impact.   We have some results directly attributable to our efforts as an organization.  We have also reached outside to our Cultural partners to ask them to evaluate their impact by taking a meter reading of activities through visitor surveys.

From Jan 2009- June 2012 seARTS, in cooperation with its cultural partners, coordinated an effort to gather survey data from cultural events held on Cape Ann.  The survey focused on collecting demographic information and economic data from event attendees; both residents and visitors alike.  Among other things, we wanted to know who they were, where they came from, why they came, would they come again and if they enjoyed the event.  The surveys also collected economic data by asking whether an attendee spent any money while they were here and, if so, where and how much.  Collecting the data was Phase I of this project and allowed us to set a benchmark.

The collection of economic data from visitors attending Cape Ann cultural events provided the hard data to support the case that the arts bring economic benefit to the Cape Ann communities.

Visitors to the Cape Ann Museum

This methodology has been used successfully by many civic and arts groups to gain access to funding from both the public and private sector.  Somerville Arts Council is a good local example.

Phase II involved compiling survey data from approximately 45 diverse arts and cultural events that produced 500 surveys in a set three-year period from Jan 2009-Jan 2011.  seARTS worked work with UMass Dartmouth to analyze the data, and issued a report.

Windhover Performance

In addition to using the collected data as the basis of the seARTS report, the seARTS survey data may also be of use to the Cape Ann Cultural Districts formed under the new State act. Under the act, Cultural Districts are required to report annually on the tangible and measurable impacts of the cultural district, including tracking the number of visitors to the district. The procedures seARTS has put in place for its visitor survey could assist the Cultural Districts in this regard and will provide it with a base of historical data for use in a comparative analysis of the District’s economic impacts.

The seARTS Board of Directors thanks the seARTS cultural partners for helping us in the survey project and we all look forward to learning what the data analysis will show.

Measuring seARTS impact:

How do we measure success? seARTS programs have had a bottom line impact on the arts and cultural scene on Cape Ann since inception!   Some of these stories are anecdotely shared by members – others, such as our art shows – we have monitored.  If you have more stories to add, please send them our way!

A few success stories:

  • A prominent film producer who received a “lead” for funding from someone that attended an early “artist-on-artist” salon that she led
  • A Partner with an Artist recipient – a musician  who was able to evolve his seARTS project into a new CD.
  • A performing artist whose Schooner Lannon events have been successfully filled due to eblast publicity.
  • A PWA artist contacted by a local restaurant for special contract work.
  • A veteran jewelry artist who found new customers at the Wearable Art Runway show

Bottom Line:

Local Musicians Performing on the Thomas E. Lannon

  • Over $12.5K worth of artwork sold at the seARTS Art Loan program at Bass Rocks
  • Over $60K of Wearable Art sold at the Holiday and Runway shows since 2006.
  • Achieving nomination and designation two years running as an American Style Top Arts Destination
  • An arts & cultural events email newsletter that reaches nearly 2000 people weekly and continues to build a following
  • Setting the stage for Cape Ann’s first Cultural Districts through local collaboration and relationships with state organizations such as the Mass Cultural Council.