Category

Community

How Culture Is Transforming our City

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“Creative placemaking not only lifts up a neighborhood physically with murals and sculpture and investments in artist housing, galleries and theaters, it helps strengthen the local economy, as eye-catching storefronts, new cultural activities and intriguing installations bring in customers and attract new businesses. It increases a sense of community identity and local pride. It can make a neighborhood a more interesting, livable place.

But most importantly arts and culture are a powerful force that help shape a neighborhood’s narrative — telling the story of what kind of place it is, changing its reputation and its trajectory.”

Why Public Art Is Important

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‘According to Bach, studies have looked at the economic development benefits of art, but only just recently have there been wider examinations of the effect of art on a community’s sense of place. The Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community initiative surveyed some 43,000 people in 43 cities and found that “social offerings, openness and welcome-ness,” and, importantly, the “aesthetics of a place – its art, parks, and green spaces,” ranked higher than education, safety, and the local economy as a “driver of attachment.”’

Sparkle of Glass, Sense of Place Designing Beauty at Methodist

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“We wanted people to walk in the door and feel better—that they were in a positive space with a lot of light and pleasant colors and things of beauty to look at.”

“This brings us to the aesthetics of entryways, which are charged with creating that welcoming atmosphere. This is perhaps most critical in healthcare facilities, where visitors are dealing with illness, stress, and matters of life and death; not surprisingly, the stereotype of the hospital setting is one of gloom and sterility.”

Sweet Jesus, the Arts Are Good for the Economy

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“The “Arts & Economic Prosperity IV” study is a valuable document with tons of detailed information drawn from 182 geographical regions.

Southeastern Pennsylvania’s cultural organizations and their audiences have a combined impact of $3.3 billion on the region’s economy.
Arts and culture supports 44,000 full-time equivalent jobs throughout the region.
Arts and culture returns $1.04 billion in household income to Southeastern Pennsylvania residents.
Cultural tourism is a valuable asset for the region, injecting nearly $230 million in direct spending into the economy.”

How the Arts and Culture Sector Catalyzes Economic Vitality

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“The activities of the arts and culture sector and local economic vitality are connected in many ways. Arts, culture, and creativity can

-improve a community’s competitive edge
-create a foundation for defining a sense of place
-attract new and visiting populations
-integrate the visions of community and business leaders
-contribute to the development of a skilled workforce”

LOCAL ARTS RAPID RESPONSE KIT: TALKING POINTS

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“The arts are essential to the health and vitality of our communities and our nation. They improve the quality of life in our cities and town. They enhance community development; spur urban renewal; attract new businesses; draw tourism dollars; and create an environment that attracts skilled, educated workers and builds your third millennium workforce.”

The Importance of Incorporating Local Culture into Community Development

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“The culture of a community significantly shapes debate and action that lead to development. Local culture also presents unique options for locally based economic, social, and other developments. Local understandings and interpretations of a community’s history reflect past events that feed into and are partially driven by the demands, sentiments, and interests of those in the present. This makes it crucial for community development practitioners to consider the cultural importance of efforts to improve local well-being.”

The Economic Benefits of Great Public Places

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“Placemaking is the art of developing a public space that attracts people. In the process, it almost always pays economic dividends back to the community.”

“Places that incorporate local heritage and artists attract more tourists, and residents feel a stronger connection to such places. The Arts and Economic Prosperity III report from Americans for the Arts states that annual support in the arts generates a 7:1 return.”

The Art of Extension: connecting with the arts to build stronger communities

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“The arts give people a creative voice, a path to leadership, a way to express shared values, and to create a shared experience working together toward meaningful outcomes. There is consensus among social scientists, historians, educators, and activists that it is exactly these kinds of experiences that helps to build community. Working in and through the arts becomes another way to help people meet the economic, ecological and social challenges of the future.”