Enter stage left: Immigration and the American arts

Abstract

To what extent have immigrants contributed to the growth of the United States arts sector? In this paper, we explore the impact of immigration during the Age of Mass Migration on the development of the arts in the U.S. over the short and long run. In the short run, our results suggest that immigration helped produce greater numbers of native artists. Over a century later, the benefits to the arts persist. Counties with greater historical immigration house more arts businesses and nonprofit organizations that generate more revenue, employ a larger proportion of the community, and earn more federal arts grants. We explore potential mechanisms, including factors such as increased exposure to new cultures and arts knowledge between immigrants and natives. Altogether, our results highlight the important role that immigrants played in the development of the arts in America.