Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Arts double the draw of pro sports in city
TWICE as many people attend the professional arts in Winnipeg compared to the number who attend professional sports.
The Winnipeg Arts Council¹s new Economic Impact Reports, released Tuesday, shows that the city's arts and creative industries contribute $1 billion to the economy and employ 6.3 per cent of the labour force, or 25,000 people.
The city's 12 professional arts and cultural groups fill 1.9 million seats each year, a figure that WAC executive director Carol Phillips says is double that of our three professional sports teams.
"I'm not surprised in any way," Phillips said in an interview Tuesday. "The level of cultural activity is obvious when you experience it. But when you've got numbers to back it up, you see the reality."
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12 Comments
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Posted by: wpgrbychoice
December 9, 2009 at 8:50 AM
It's very helpful to have some actual numbers to talk about what many of us know - the Arts are close to Winnipegger's hearts!
There's a longer version by Morley Walker today with more figures: http://bit.ly/4AfOaG
And you can download the full report here: http://bit.ly/71OmJx
Posted by: delbobayou
December 8, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Hey Dave, you think that the sports teams don't get any government money? How much did we pay for that skating rink downtown? How much for that piece of turf near the UofM for the Bombers? How much has Uncle Sam taken for his ball-club (and avoided in taxes)? Arts get less than 1%!
Posted by: D Hue
December 8, 2009 at 2:43 PM
okay null, if we had an NHL team, and sold out every home game in a season, and the Bombers did the same, that's still less then 900,000 spectators in a year (not including playoffs). The point is still valid, people in this city enjoy the arts.
Posted by: Dave
December 8, 2009 at 2:28 PM
In the report, do they list how much of the arts is subsidized by government programs? I would also like to see the breakdown of the employment numbers.
Posted by: Russ
December 8, 2009 at 2:17 PM
What a surprise. The Arts Council undertakes a report that shows that twice as many people go to the arts. And I agree with Null - calling our teams "professional" is a bit of a stretch. There is no competition.
Posted by: ohreally
December 8, 2009 at 1:34 PM
null = commander.
Posted by: Joey Tribbiani
December 8, 2009 at 1:33 PM
As it should be. To most people, pro sports isn't appealing at all.
Posted by: Hemisfear
December 8, 2009 at 1:17 PM
...so, I guess they won't be needing any gov't assistance any longer? It's about time they took care of themselves!
Posted by: Jets_Or_Bust
December 8, 2009 at 1:05 PM
I would have to agree with null (and yes I know I'm biased based on my id name and the fact that I like NHL hockey). Although the Bombers represent the best football in Canada, the Moose and the Goldeyes are certainly lower-level pro sports.
I would also be interested to know just what constitutes arts and cultural activities, as well as to know how many of these tickets they "sell" are actually given away or heavily subsidized by local governments.
Posted by: Jason In the Peg
December 8, 2009 at 1:01 PM
"Pro" as in "Professional" as in "Paid-To-Play" what is it that's giving you the hard time?
What does the the NHL returning have to do with the hard figures being reported?
And as for the NHL returning, by all means start holding your breath.
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