Cultural Economics

City works to determine the impact of the arts and cultural programs for the Lawrence community.

| 2016 Q3 | story by MEGAN GILLILAND, Communications Manager, City of Lawrence | photos City of Lawrence

NEA – Graph on Economics and Art

To compete in today’s ever-changing world and to serve the citizenry beneficially and sustainably, municipalities are required to think and act more holistically. In addition to providing traditional core services and attending to the physical infrastructure of the community, civic leaders today must also recognize and bolster the ever-evolving identity and vision of their communities. While art and culture are not singular in this aim, they are a mainstay in the vision of an increasing number of cities and counties in the United States as they provide innovative community engagement opportunities and unique appeal for locals, visitors and businesses.

As economic trends continue shifting worldwide, many U.S. cities are initiating innovative strategies to attract businesses, citizens and tourists to assure long-term economic and community sustainability. Cities like Fort Collins, Colorado, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Frisco, Texas, are capitalizing on their creative economies by bolstering programs, increasing strategic investments and assuring that the arts and cultural goals are articulated measurably in their strategic planning.

Arts and culture, and the enthusiastic community participation that accompanies them, contribute significantly to the identity and well-being of Lawrence. As a Kansas municipality, Lawrence is in a pivotal time and is uniquely positioned to capitalize effectively on a burgeoning new era of creative commerce and a redefined sense of livability—blending and celebrating traditional and contemporary perspectives.

With this in mind, the city and the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission completed the first citywide cultural plan in 2015 and engaged in Arts and Economic Prosperity 5, a comprehensive national research study conducted by Americans for the Arts. Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 is part of a now-20-year national research project showing that the nonprofit arts and culture industry is an economic driver in communities and is a growth industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue and is the cornerstone of tourism.

The Arts and Economic Prosperity study is the most comprehensive study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted. So far, 182 study regions have been analyzed, and by June 2017, another 330 communities and regions across the U.S. will be researched and documented. According to Americans for the Arts, “Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences.” According to ArtsKC Regional Arts Council, a five-county, bi-state nonprofit arts agency serving the Kansas City metro area, “Arts and culture organizations produce $279 million in economic impact for the Kansas City Metropolitan region, and 4.4 million arts attendees spent $85.6 million in services and businesses outside of admission costs or souvenirs and gifts (i.e. transportation, lodging, meals/refreshments).”

Recent studies by organizations like the National Governors Association, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Brookings Institution clearly indicate that corporations and individuals—particularly millennials—are most attracted to communities that offer basic comforts along with unique amenities like arts and culture.

Lawrence is already ahead of the game when it comes to arts and culture. As any good coach would say, “Play to your strengths.”