Economy & Economic Development  May 13, 2016

Arts’ economic impact stressed at summit

CARBONDALE —More than 300 people who attended the fifth annual Colorado Creative Industries Summit May 5-6 in Carbondale returned home with a deeper understanding of the importance of the arts in communities, especially from an economic standpoint.

Representatives from Northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley were among the visual and performing artists, creative entrepreneurs, municipal and nonprofit cultural workers and creative-district leaders who participated in workshops covering topics from shooting marketing videos on smartphones to the displacement of artists along the Front Range.

“A lot is being written about the vitality of the arts,” said Fort Collins-based artist Bonnie Lebesch, “and that is what makes cities alive. Without the vibrancy that the arts bring, it just becomes a soulless, gentrified existence.”

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Lebesch’s sentiment was echoed by members of the creative class in Northern Colorado which is seeing its population grow faster than most of the rest of the country. With that growth comes a growth in the creative industries, defined by CCI as “any company for which the primary value of its products or services is rooted in its emotional and aesthetic appeal to the customer.”

CCI divides the industries into six subgroups: design, film and media, heritage, literary and publishing, performing arts, and visual arts and crafts. Boulder, Weld and Larimer counties all have seen considerable change — some growth and some loss — in these sectors, especially in the arts.

In the past three years, Boulder County has seen its creative vitality index increase. A region’s creative vitality index measures the health of the creative economy. Jobs in the creative sector increased by 2 percent, adding 127 more positions to the existing 6,955 creative jobs in the county.

According to the National Endowment for the Arts and the 2015 Boulder County TRENDS Report from The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, the county is a top “arts cluster,” ranking eighth in the nation behind such arts- industry powerhouses as New York, Lost Angeles, Santa Fe, N.M., and Nashville, Tenn.

Deborah Malden, arts liaison and adviser for the Boulder Chamber, pointed to 2010 data from Americans for the Arts that showed that Boulder’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations alone contributed more than $20 million to the local economy.

Data compiled for 2013 by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District showed that every dollar invested in arts and cultural organizations in Boulder County generates $7 to $10 in total economic activity. This includes event-related spending by audiences for activities including dining, shopping and parking. Additionally, according to the city of Boulder’s 2015 Community Cultural Plan, creative industries in 2013 represented $2.3 billion in sales.

“The arts have has ripple effects throughout the community—greater cross-cultural awareness and understanding, better educational outcomes for K-12 students, increased civic engagement; and creating a more welcoming sense of place,” Malden wrote in an email. “More cultural offerings make it possible to attract and retain the talent needed to drive Boulder’s creative economy.”

Since 2013, Weld County saw overall increases in creative-sector jobs, rising by 2 percent. However, earnings have dropped by $26 million. Nonprofit revenues jumped to $5.2 million, for an increase of 13 percent.

Greeley became one of 12 certified Colorado Creative Districts across the state in 2014. Funded until this year by the Boettcher Foundation and Colorado Creative Industries, there are 12 Creative Districts across the state, the purpose of each is to create hubs and clusters of economic activity; promote each community’s unique identity, and enhance areas as appealing places to live, conduct business and attract visitors. The Greeley Creative District encompasses downtown and neighborhoods including and surrounding the University of Northern Colorado.

Downtown Longmont also received its Creative District certification in 2014.

Larimer County’s creative sector also grew over the same time frame. Its creative vitality index shows a gain of $6.9 million in creative industries, totaling $212.8 million. Artists, writers and performers represent $9.9 million of those earnings.

Larimer County nonprofits saw an 11 percent drop in revenues, losing $1.5 million. However, state grants increased by $55,300 since 2013 for a 46 percent boost.

Loveland has been especially active in building its arts scene. Last year, Loveland ArtWorks, a live-work complex, opened. The facility serves 27 resident artists and four visiting artists annually, and attracts more than 1,000 visitors a year to its galleries and public programs.

Fort Collins is a candidate to become a certified Colorado Creative District.

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