Posts Tagged ‘art as economic development’

Why rural communities need artists

August 20th, 2010

If I were in charge of giving out awards at the Midwest Rural Assembly, I’d give Becky McCray the “Best Tweet” award.  While listening to Deb Marquart speak about the role of artists in communities, Becky tweeted:

“Grow more artists, not just corn and athletes. Artists are the ones who reimagine a place, help create the future. Deb Marquart #mra10“

And if I were able to give out a “Most Insightful” award, I’d give it to Deb Marquart.  I’ve been thinking about the role of the arts as an economic development strategy lately, but Marquart tuned me onto another potential impact artists can make.  We need artists to help us solve the significant problems facing rural communities.

Marquart described artists as problem solvers, with a gift for looking at the world differently than the rest of us.  We need artists to bring those problem solving skills and perspective to the table as we deal with the economic and social challenges confronting our rural communities.  It’s key to helping us reimagine our futures. 

There was a lot of wisdom in Marquart’s words, so I attempted to recapture some of it in a short interview following her presentation.  You can watch that video below.

 

(Source:  “Deb Marquart on Why Rural Communities need Artists,” Youtube, Rural Learning Center, Aug. 16, 2010)

I think Marquart is right in her assessment of artists, especially if it includes a wide definition of the term.  Sadly, our communities don’t include artists enough in our community work.  Even worse, we make little effort to cultivate their development in our schools and communities. 

Later in the day, I participated in a discussion about the importance of teaching entrepreneurship to young people.  It was at that moment that I began to think about potential connections between artists and entrepreneurs.

Similar to the way Marquart views artists, I’ve always looked at entrepreneurs as problem solvers; they see an economic problem and attempt to find a business solution.  It’s got me thinking there’s a connection between teaching art and teaching entrepreneurship.  Perhaps programs and classes that cultivate artists could help grow more entrepreneurs, and vice-versa. 

Whether it’s artists, entrepreneurs, or someone else, we need to harness the energy and skills of people who bring a different perspective to the table and are good at overcoming obstacles.  Our reimagined future depends on it.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, education, Rural | Comments (2)

Mount Rushmore or an Art Festival

March 5th, 2009

If the development of the arts is economic development, should communities focus on creating an attraction like Mount Rushmore or a one-day arts festival?

In a comment on yesterday’s post, Paul alerted us to the importance of Mount Rushmore to economic development in South Dakota.  No doubt about it.  Gutzon Borglum hit a home run for the tourism industry in SD when he started the project in the 1927. 

That project, however, stands in stark contrast to what is perhaps more realistic for most small, rural communities – a one- day arts festival.  But does it make sense for a community to invest their time and effort into an activity that only has an impact one day a year?  Where are the jobs everyone so desperately needs?

Vision:  If a community wants to use the arts as a tool for economic growth, they need to create a larger vision for the future of the arts in their community.  They then need to lay out some steps that help build that vision.

Planning:  In that plan, they need to think about what tools are necessary to further the arts development in the community.  In other words, it is no different than identifying the need for a revolving loan fund and a marketing plan for recruiting a business. 

Time and Effort: In this scenario, an arts festival could be a starting point.  But the effort can’t end there; at least not if the goal is to create jobs and economic opportunity.  More of a critical mass of artists and activities would be needed to accomplish this.  And that’s going to take time and effort. 

Conclusion:  In the end, communities probably shouldn’t focus on whether they should create a Mount Rushmore or a one-day arts festival.  Instead they should ask:  What’s the vision?  What’s the plan?  And are we willing to put in the time and effort to make that happen? 

 

Note:  Interestingly, vision, planning, time and effort are equally important to the success of traditional economic development strategies.  I’d also like to be clear that I’m not recommending the arts development over other economic development strategies.  I just want to lift up arts development as one of the possibilities. 

Other Resources: If you are looking for ideas on how to stimulate the economy in your rural community through the arts, I’d recommend the following links:

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)

Is art development economic development

March 4th, 2009

With the current crisis over the funding of the South Dakota Arts Council looming before the legislature, I think it is an appropriate time to raise the question:  “Is the development of the arts also economic development?” 

South Dakotans typically don’t look at the arts as economic development, but one only has to look at the Brookings Summer Arts Festival  to see the economic impact the arts can have on a community.   

Does that mean it is an effective strategy for small rural towns to pursue?  That is what I was focused on when I listened to the Small Towns podcast titled “Art Towns.”

John Delconte of Small Towns interviewed John Villani, author of The 100 Best Art Towns in America and Tinka Jordi, chairperson of the Hillsborough (NC) Arts Council.

After some an initial delay in the call, John Villani described how he was surprised to discover so many small, rural towns with arts festivals.  This discovery became the focus for his book, and has helped publicize communities with an arts tradition as places to visit. 

John made several great observations during the call that I would like to lift out:

First, he pointed out that the arts community is very entrepreneurial.  Once embedded in a community, this entrepreneurial spirit takes hold of others and can create other opportunities.

Second, he made the case that rural communities don’t need an arts tradition to take advantage of the economic opportunities the arts present.  He described the “hockey and mining” community of Nelson, British Columbia where an owner of a bed and breakfast got together with a few arts enthusiasts to develop a small festival.  The festival grew in popularity, spurring further arts development and economic growth for the community.

And finally, John made the point that communities that are considering investing in the arts need to decide if they want to want to develop their reputation as an arts community or if they want to the arts to lead to an economic impact.  The two are not mutually exclusive, and the community needs to decide on what its goals are.

The above highlights cover only a small portion of the overall phone conversation, and I’d encourage everyone to listen to a rebroadcast at the Small Town’s podcast.  (and hang with the initial delay)

To learn more about the current funding crisis with the SD Art’s Council, check out the following

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Economic Development, In the News, Rural | Comments (2)