Arts, Culture, Historic Preservation, Creative Economy

In 2030, San Antonio leads the world as a creative community. Here, the arts are integral to culture, history, and global connection. The arts strengthen the health of our community, help drive our economy, and enhance our quality of life.

    How are we doing?

  • priority_high Increase Public Investment in Arts & Culture: Did Not Meet Goal
  • priority_high Increase Attendance for Arts & Culture: Did Not Meet Goal
  • trending_up Increase Economic Impact of Creative Sector: On Track
  • trending_flat Increase Employment in Creative Industries: Progress
  • priority_high Improve Satisfaction with Arts & Culture: Did Not Meet Goal

Key Insights

  1. While still shy of the goal for funding, the City of San Antonio increased public investment in arts and culture by 38% from 2010 to 2020. This is even with the reduction in funding due to COVID-19.
  2. With the cancellation of most events and the shuttering of many local arts institutions (both temporary and permanent), attendance for arts and culture slid backwards in 2020 after a growth of more than 133% from 2010 to 2019.
  3. The impact of the creative sector grew 84% between 2010 and 2018.
  4. There was a slight increase in employment in creative industries—3.7% between 2010 and 2018.
  5. The percentage of San Antonians that feel that local arts and culture provide everything their family wants increased by 9-percentage points between 2010 and 2020. 

The Indicators

Goal: Double the amount of public investment in arts and culture in San Antonio

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Goal: Double the number of individuals attending arts and culture events in San Antonio

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Goal: Increase the economic impact of the creative sector to $5 billion

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Goal: Double the number of individuals employed in creative industries

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Goal: Increase the percentage of San Antonians that feel "San Antonio arts and cultural life provide everything their family wants" to 80%

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An August 2020 report from the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings details creative industries as one of the hardest hit industries during COVID-19 with estimated losses of 32.8% of jobs and 11% in sales/economic impact in the San Antonio metropolitan area.

More of the Story

In the 2030 Community Vision, shifts in indicators, based on community feedback, will include:

  1. Adding a measure for the ratio of historic properties preserved and/or rehabilitated.
  2. Removing the satisfaction with arts & culture offerings, as measured by the City of San Antonio Arts & Culture survey.
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