Arts Make Solid Contributions To Economy, Quality Of Life

Most people recognize the arts to be a source of enjoyment and a legacy of visionary achievement. Few identify the arts to be a stimulus for economic growth. But a recent study conducted by the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and the Spokane Arts Commission reveals that the arts are highly beneficial to Spokane’s economy.

The study shows that ticket sales, salaries and arts-related activities contribute more that $21 million to Spokane’s economy every year. Further analysis shows the indirect fiscal impact, including things such as associated retail activity, to be more than $61 million per year.

These findings are not surprising when you consider that the arts sector employs more people than nine of our region’s largest manufacturing businesses and that attendance at art events is greater than the annual attendance at the Spokane Veteran’s Memorial Arena, greater than 10 Bloomsdays and seven times greater than annual attendance at Joe Albi Stadium.

Many of these patrons are visitors from outside of central Spokane. It’s called “cultural tourism” in today’s world of economic development and it can pay dividends. People come to performances and events and leave behind dollars which cycle through our economy. Survey results indicate that 47 percent of the gross income supporting arts organizations comes from outside of the Spokane area, but 75 percent of that income is spent locally.

In addition to these present-day economic benefits, the arts represent a sound investment for our future. Research shows that SAT scores are often higher for students who have had arts education. Why? Because the arts stimulate skills essential to learning, such as the ability to conceptualize and view the world from different perspectives.

Scholars have shown that exposure to the arts can expand a person’s ability to concentrate and pay attention to detail, use imagination and think metaphorically, make judgments in the absence of a rule and devise solutions to complex problems. Study of the arts also produces personal benefits, such as perseverance, willingness to take risks, cooperation and collaboration, productivity, craftsmanship and thus, self-esteem.

Increasingly, business leaders are waking up to the occupational value of the arts. To grow businesses, employers need talented individuals who, through training or (rarely) through their innate talent, are able to focus critical thinking skills on the tasks of creating products, managing services and, eventually, running companies.

That’s why more and more businesses are donating professional time and resources to support the arts. Businesses view philanthropy as an investment, one which will create a high quality of life and competitive work force. Experience shows that both flourish in communities that support and value the arts.

In our state, there is a unique organization committed to invigorating community life through the support of individual artists in all disciplines seriously committed to their own work. Artists in and around Spokane have been recognized on many occasions by this statewide organization dedicated to artistic achievement - Artist Trust. For over 11 years, Artist Trust has provided unrestricted financial grants to support artistic growth in literature, visual arts, craft, music, media, theater, design, dance and other disciplines. More than 35 Eastern Washington artists have received these grants.

The work of more than a dozen of these award-winning artists is currently being featured in an exhibit at Spokane’s Chase Gallery, located in City Hall. The work of these individuals represents a small but impressive sample of more than 1,000 artists in our community who make their living at least in part from their work in the arts.

The handiwork of these individuals surrounds us. We see the arts of the community in public sculpture or monuments, in the music in the streets, in galleries and performances, in designs for T-shirts for Hoopfest, in the theater workshops at Civic Theatre and in the restoration of historical homes.

In the bigger picture, the example of Artist Trust is a compelling one. The group’s grants serve dual purposes: to support research and development in the arts and provide the validation and encouragement that are almost always prerequisites to achievement.

The gains are demonstrable and clear. In education, the arts develop the capacity of our children not only to earn a living but to live a life rich in meaning.

For business, the arts can help lead to a work force characterized by versatility, continuous refinement and a high standard of achievement.

And for all of us, the arts contribute to our community’s opportunities for enjoyment, economic and cultural prosperity.