As the centerpiece of Louisa's downtown revitalization and renewal efforts, the restoration and reuse of a local landmark, the former Louisa High School, the Community Arts Center will achieve a wide range of direct and indirect economic goals.

A study performed by Virginians for the Arts describes the economic impact of arts and cultural organizations in Virginia. (http://www.vaforarts.org/tempdocs/Wessex.pdf)

Arts and cultural organizations in Virginia annually generate:

• $849 million in revenues for Virginia businesses and
• $342 million in revenues for Virginia tourism businesses through spending by out-of-state visitors to the arts and cultural organizations.

As a result of the business revenues created by Virginia arts and cultural organizations, the state’s economy benefits from:

• $447 million in value-added income (mainly personal income) for Virginia’s workforce and entrepreneurs;
• $307 million in annual labor compensation for Virginia’s workforce;
• 18,850 full and part-time jobs.

Virginia’s arts and cultural organizations also:

• host nearly 30 million patrons each year;
• attract out-of-state visitors (37% of paid admissions to arts and cultural organizations live outside Virginia);
• supplement their budgets with an estimated $62 million in grant income annually;
• raise an estimated $74 million in contributions annually;
• organize 1.4 million hours of volunteer time to improve the quality of life for all Virginians.