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We’ve known it all along, and now the data backs it up: Long Island’s creative sector is powering our economy, strengthening our downtowns, and enriching lives in every corner of the region. But while the impact is undeniable, the funding and structural support behind it still haven’t caught up.
Sustaining Long Island’s Creative Spark, our new report in partnership with the Center for an Urban Future spotlights both the momentum and the urgent challenges facing the sector, and outlines five bold policy recommendations to ensure Long Island’s creative spark doesn’t fade. This project was made possible with support from Huntington Arts Council, through a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
The Spark Is Real
- Arts jobs grew 5x faster than the regional economy:
Arts and culture employment on Long Island surged by 21.6% from 2014 to 2024, outpacing overall job growth by a wide margin.
- Independent artists are driving revival
The number of independent artists nearly doubled over the past decade, fueling downtown vibrancy and attracting visitors.
- A growing creative workforce – outpacing population growth
Craft artists rose 36.9%, fine artists 15.6%, and interior designers 32.1%; a creative surge that outpaced Long Island’s population growth.
What’s Holding Us Back
- Artists are being priced out & nonprofits are running on fumes
With housing costs up more than 60% in the past decade, many artists can’t afford to live or work on Long Island. Meanwhile, nonprofits are scraping by month to month.
- Long Island receives just 2.8% of state arts funding
Despite making up nearly 15% of New York’s population, Long Island receives less than 3% of the state’s arts funding, widening regional gaps. Just 3.1% of Long Island’s Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) funding supports the arts, far below the statewide 16% average.
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Big Spending, Missed Opportunity
Billions in tourism spending, but barely a fraction goes toward supporting arts & culture. We need dedicated funding streams that recognize the arts as essential to the tourism economy.
Long Island’s creative sector is growing in all the right ways: more jobs, more artists, more economic impact. These gains didn’t happen by accident. They are the result of dedicated artists, educators, and organizations who have pushed forward despite systemic underinvestment and persistent barriers to access.
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