Author : Tricia M. Ostertag
Publisher :
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 37,5 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Artists and community
ISBN :
Book Description
The nonprofit arts industry, which generates $166.2 billion in economic activity each year, is a powerful force for economic development nationwide. Arts initiatives have served as components of economic development programs by assisting local governments in many ways. Communities that invest in the arts reap additional benefits of jobs, economic growth, and quality of life. In times of economic difficulties people often look for things to eliminate in order to save money. Support of nonprofit organizations has taken a hit in the last five years and the arts have felt the cuts more than any other. Sources of support include corporate donations and sponsorships, giving by individuals, federal and state government grants, and grants from private foundations. What so many fail to see, and what this thesis will examine, is the economic stimulus that the arts can bring to communities when founded and nourished by sound business principles. In the chapters that follow I hope to encourage community based arts revitalization.The arts can create an influx of tourism, a surge in job creation, and have the ability to draw a young, creative, and energetic workforce to a community. The arts draw business industry professionals seeking inspiration, entertainment and a thriving home to raise their families. Nonprofit arts and culture organizations are an important component of a prosperous community. They are employers, consumers, producers and members of local organizations such as chambers of commerce and because of these roles, they have a strong position in the economic stability of an area. The direct economic impact that this has will be explored. The thesis will delve into the successful creation of a community arts district and its effect on the local economy by examining the Canton Arts District. This in-depth look at a depressed city center's metamorphosis into a thriving arts hub bares evidence to the power the arts can provide. This study also shows how a single city arts initiative transitioned into a county wide arts council, thereby spreading its effect to every corner of its community base. The examples of arts rejuvenation spread from coast to coast with wide-ranging strategies and successes. By looking at the facts and statistics gathered in the following chapters I hope to expose bankable concepts for real community arts growth.