The Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance has completed a year-long cycle of data collection for the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6, a nationwide economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and cultural sector led by our partners at Americans for the Arts for more than 20 years.
Results from the AEP6 will help us understand how Lehigh Valley arts and cultural programs impact neighborhood pride and boost local economies through job creation, tourism, and support for small business. Importantly, the study will provide a comprehensive snapshot of arts and cultural organizations for the first time since 2017, offering additional insights about how the nonprofit community has recovered since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robust local data collection would not have been possible without support from the Truist Charitable Foundation, PPL Foundation, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, and the Baker Foundation. LVACA is thankful for their financial support, and for the extraordinary cooperation of nonprofit art and culture organizations from across the Lehigh Valley.
LVACA worked with local nonprofit arts organizations to collect data from two sources:
From July 2022 through June 2023, LVACA collected audience intercept surveys at 29 unique events across the Lehigh Valley. In total, we received 802 audience surveys, including 256 surveys collected from attendees to events that were presented, produced, or hosted by an organization that primarily serves a Community of Color. We’re grateful for the collaboration of our site partners and volunteers who aided in survey collection.
Event | Host Organization |
Inclusion Festival | Accessible Festivals |
Martin Luther King Jr Day Celebration | Allentown Art Museum |
Arts Ovation Awards | Allentown Arts Commision |
Musikfest | ArtsQuest |
Christkindlmarkt | ArtsQuest |
Bethlehem Bach Festival | Bach Choir of Bethlehem |
11Fest | Bethlehem Area Public Library |
Lehigh Valley Pride | Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center |
A Christmas Carol | Civic Theatre of Allentown |
Black History Month Youth Art Show | Community Action Lehigh Valley |
Dominican Festival | Dominican Festival Organization |
Blues, Brews, & Barbecue | Downtown Allentown Business Alliance |
Vespers by St. Tikhon Choir | First Presbyterian Church Bethlehem |
Live at the Falls | Greater Easton Development Corporation |
National Theatre Live | Lafayette College Arts |
Fatoumata Diawara | Lafayette College Arts |
Gateway to Himalayan Art | Lehigh University Art Galleries |
Holiday Pops | Miller Symphony Hall |
Roasting Ears of Corn Festival | Museum of Indian Culture |
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration | Northampton Community College Hispanic Caucus |
RENT | Northampton Community College Summer Theatre |
Elf Jr. | Pennsylvania Youth Theatre |
India Heritage Day | Saara Arts |
Kids’ Art Workshop | Saara Arts |
Live on the Greenway | Southside Arts District |
Odysseus | Touchstone Theatre |
Art in the Park | West Park Civic Association |
Family Day | Zoellner Arts Center |
Home Free | Zoellner Arts Center |
Event | Host Organization |
Inclusion Festival | Accessible Festivals |
Martin Luther King Jr Day Celebration | Allentown Art Museum |
Arts Ovation Awards | Allentown Arts Commision |
Musikfest | ArtsQuest |
Christkindlmarkt | ArtsQuest |
Bethlehem Bach Festival | Bach Choir of Bethlehem |
11Fest | Bethlehem Area Public Library |
Lehigh Valley Pride | Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center |
A Christmas Carol | Civic Theatre of Allentown |
Black History Month Youth Art Show | Community Action Lehigh Valley |
Dominican Festival | Dominican Festival Organization |
Blues, Brews, & Barbecue | Downtown Allentown Business Alliance |
Vespers by St. Tikhon Choir | First Presbyterian Church Bethlehem |
Live at the Falls | Greater Easton Development Corporation |
National Theatre Live | Lafayette College Arts |
Fatoumata Diawara | Lafayette College Arts |
Gateway to Himalayan Art | Lehigh University Art Galleries |
Holiday Pops | Miller Symphony Hall |
Roasting Ears of Corn Festival | Museum of Indian Culture |
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration | Northampton Community College Hispanic Caucus |
RENT | Northampton Community College Summer Theatre |
Elf Jr. | Pennsylvania Youth Theatre |
India Heritage Day | Saara Arts |
Kids’ Art Workshop | Saara Arts |
Live on the Greenway | Southside Arts District |
Odysseus | Touchstone Theatre |
Art in the Park | West Park Civic Association |
Family Day | Zoellner Arts Center |
Home Free | Zoellner Arts Center |
Additionally, we received nearly 100 completed surveys from arts and culture nonprofit organizations. Together with audience survey data, this information will help demonstrate the enormous collective economic and community impact of nonprofits that offer creative programming.
Nationally, the AEP6 collected data in over 400 regions across the United States and Puerto Rico. In total, Americans for the Arts received 230,000 audience surveys and 16,000 organization surveys.
In October 2023 Americans for the Arts will release the full AEP6 report including Lehigh Valley and national data. LVACA is planning activities to share the findings and support Lehigh Valley nonprofits in utilizing the study data to tell the story of their community impact, plan programs and events, and raise funds through event sponsorship, grants, government programs, and individual donors.
To stay informed about this and other upcoming opportunities, subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Instagram — and don’t hesitate to get in touch directly with thoughts or questions.
Subscribe to the Arts Advocate - a weekly email newsletter that highlights happenings in the Lehigh Valley arts and culture community and offers actions you can take to be an advocate for the arts.
English 
Español de Puerto Rico