Former NEA Chairman John Frohmeyer observed a decade ago that “creativity is the currency of the future.”
That statement rings louder than ever as the creative spirit behind California’s art community continues to impact the state more than ever. California is recognizing this important contribution with the Year of the Arts 2001, a yearlong campaign celebrating the importance and impact of the arts in the state’s economy, education and civic life.
California has long prided itself on being a citadel where creativity is valued and nurtured. New York may be the financial capital of the country, and Washington, D.C., the seat of power, but California enjoys a global cachet as the place to be if you want to make an idea happen.
This reputation as an incubator for creative thought attracts world-class talent and fuels California’s entrepreneurial advantage. It is no accident the entertainment and high-tech industries have their genesis here.
State Support for Arts
Gov. Gray Davis understands this. His recent 83 percent budget increase in arts funding to the California Arts Council reflects his commitment to maintaining California’s creative capital by moving us closer to New York, Michigan and other states that have dramatically increased their support for the arts over the past decade. The fact Davis’ wife, Sharon, chairs the California Creativity Forum echoes this appreciation.
The arts are an economic engine in their own right. A study conducted in 1994 showed the nonprofit arts in California generated $2.2 billion in direct economic impact, accounted for more than 115,000 jobs and added another $77 million to local and state tax coffers. Those numbers are projected to be much higher today.
And the arts are directly related to three of the state’s major economic engines: entertainment, high-tech, and tourism industries. The entertainment sector generates $13.5 billion and employs 164,000 high-wage workers. Tourism generates more than $60 billion in sales and supports jobs for nearly 700,000 Californians.
Research shows a direct correlation between the arts and outlining industries. For every dollar spent on arts events, an additional $11 is spent on transportation, parking, hotel stays, restaurant dining, shopping and other ancillary spending. This “cultural tourism” generates nearly $360 million in the state’s annual spending and provides more than 5,200 jobs and almost $200 million in employee income.
Cultural Attractions Brings Jobs
The arts also play a role in where we choose to live. That fact drives up home values and increases local tax revenues , which helps local schools and local infrastructures.
The arts help attract corporations to locate in California, and to stay here. Sought-after high-tech employees want culture near where they live and work. And the arts are at the center of downtown revitalization efforts in scores of cities throughout the state.
When you consider the economic benefits, the importance of the arts to our future becomes more apparent. Support for the arts is an investment, not a subsidy. Research links arts education directly to economics.
Studies confirm arts involvement improves academic performance. Moreover, the arts increase individual self-esteem. And it is the absence of self-esteem for so many students today that causes them to see school as irrelevant to their lives. The arts allow them to succeed , some for the first time.
It is critical that we join the governor, his wife, the state Legislature, local officials, civic leaders, business and industry and educators in the growing bipartisan support for the value and positive impact of the arts and creativity. We must realize the arts are not an elective, but are central to California’s future. Share California’s incredible cultural bounty and celebrate the Year of the Arts 2001.
Ziter is director of the San Diego Performing Arts League and serves as volunteer chair of the California Arts Advocates, a lobbying and advocacy organization.
