Arts & Culture
At-A-Glance | 2005-2024
Over the past two decades, Springfield’s arts and culture sector has grown from a celebrated tradition into a recognized driver of economic development and community vitality. Anchored by historic venues, universities, and a spirit of collaboration, the arts have fueled downtown revitalization, created jobs, and attracted visitors while enriching residents’ quality of life.
Despite these successes, the sector has faced persistent challenges: unstable funding, limited infrastructure, and gaps in leadership diversity. The COVID-19 pandemic magnified these vulnerabilities, but also showcased the community’s resilience through virtual programming and continued collaboration.
Today, Springfield’s arts scene is thriving yet at a crossroads. Strong audiences and innovative programs provide momentum, but sustainable growth will depend on increased investment, long-term planning, and embedding arts and culture as a core part of the region’s economic and community development strategy.
audience engagement
Organizations are operating at maximum capacity, but growth has not been equal across the sector.
Some are seeing attendance numbers begin to plateau or slow slightly, and there does not appear to be any singular reason behind this disparity.
But in the last two years, new organizations like New Moon Studio Space and the Ozarks Film Foundry continue to form to fill local needs.
Collaborative
Approach
The arts community has always been known for its collaborative approach. Collaboration engages audiences across artistic and cultural genres while cost-sharing across multiple organizations.
Regional Travelers
A new opportunity is regional travel for cultural experiences.
Americans for the Arts’ Arts & Tourism Fact Sheet states 35.3 million people travel for the arts annually.
These cultural tourists spend two times more during their trips.
Funding
Challenges
Sustainable funding is a persistent challenge, and organizations must diversify funding. Inflationary pressures are especially acute in the arts.
Organizations keep expenses low while also increasing quality, but the problem isn’t in producing more; it is the economic challenge of the arts. The marginal cost of a production, or the cost of doing one more, far exceeds the revenue generated from that one performance. Nonprofits are thrifty, but leaders report the exhaustion of “doing more with less.”
Diversifying funding and expanding donor pools together with public funding are critical steps to doing more with more.
Human Capital
Human capital is critical to a thriving arts and culture ecosystem, and the region is experiencing a major leadership change.
Arts leaders are leaving because of retirement, burnout, or career shifts. Turnover isn’t bad if an organization is prepared with a succession plan, but when unexpected transitions happen, organizations lose institutional knowledge and stability.
Physical Infrastructure
High-quality experiences require the physical infrastructure to support their success. Facilities have not kept up with the growth in demand.
There is a thirst for bigger experiences, but that growth requires more physical space. Several performing arts organizations report repeatedly selling out performances.
Though encouraging, the trend demonstrates the expanding demand and the lack of capacity to meet it.