Tennessee

In the past five years, the National Endowment for the Arts distributed $18,081,805 in federal funding, either directly or through state and regional partners, in Tennessee.

In the most recent information (2023) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department, Tennessee…

• Added 4 percent or $21.2 billion to the state economy from arts and cultural production
• Employed 108,773 workers in the arts and cultural industries, with workers earning wages and benefits totaling $8.7 billion

More than 36 percent of Tennessee’s adults attended live music, theater, or dance performances, while 11 percent attended art exhibits, according to the 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition to offering direct grants, the NEA supports national initiatives benefiting people across the country. Over the past five years:

The Blue Star Museums program provided free admission to thousands of active military personnel and their families at 78 participating museums in Tennessee. 

More than 1,354 students from 89 high schools in Tennessee participated in Poetry Out Loud. 

The NEA Big Read program generated community events focused on reading outstanding American literature and involving more than 8,772 adults and students in Tennessee.