Arts Advocacy

Macon Arts Alliance supports artists, arts organizations, and the cultural community by advocating for arts funding and arts friendly policies on the local, state, and national level. We partner with state and national advocacy organizations to document the economic impact of the arts and report those findings to our legislators.

Statewide and national advocacy efforts led to the inclusion of artists as solo-entrepreneurs in COVID-19 relief measures and the inclusion of arts non-profits in small business relief and resiliency programs related to COVID-19.

AEP 6

AEP 6 studied the Economic and Social Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and their Audience in 2022. Macon Arts Alliance partnered with Americans for the Arts to participate in the study, which was funded by The Knight Foundation.

Total expenditures of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations in Macon-Bibb County and their audiences (FY2022) was $106,499,635.

1.3 million people attended arts and culture events in Macon-Bibb County in 2022

  • 72% of attendees were local
  • 28% were nonlocal

AEP 6 also measured social impact

  • 5% said the venue/event they attended is a pillar in their community
  • 4% said they would feel a sense of loss if the venue/event went away
  • 9% said the venue/event inspires a sense of pride in their neighborhood or community
  • 4% said their attendance is in part to ensure the venue/event continues

Macon-Bibb County also measured the economic impact of Downtown Macon compared to Macon-Bibb County as a whole.

  • Of the 1.3 million attendees, 1.2 million (92%) attended events Downtown
  • Of the $62 million in audience expenditures, 57 million (92%) was spent Downtown
  • Of the $106.5 million in total expenditures, $71.8 million (67.4%) was spent Downtown
  • Of the 2,009 jobs in this sector, 1,256 (62.5%) are located Downtown

Read the full Macon-Bibb AEP Report

Read the full Macon-Bibb AEP Report

Top Ten Reasons to Support the Arts

The effective arts advocate needs to articulate the value of the arts in as many ways as possible—deploying the right case-making tool in the right situation. Consider these “10 Reasons to Support the Arts” as your Swiss army knife for arts advocacy.

Read the full Downtown Macon Report

Read the full Downtown Macon-Bibb AEP Report

Read the full AEP 6 Report with National, Regional, and Local findings

Read the full Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 Report. The full reports for the State of Georgia, Macon-Bibb County, and Downtown Macon can be found on this website.

Contact Your Elected Officials

You can support the arts by contacting your elected officials and letting them know that arts and culture have a positive economic impact on our community, state, and nation, and play a pivotal role in uniting people by promoting dialogue, understanding, and collaboration.

Congressional Arts Report Card

Find Your United States Senator

Find Your United State Congressman

Find your Georgia State Senator and Representative

Contact the members of the Macon-Bibb County Commission