Recently someone in an on-line forum asked about participating in an upcoming open studio event. Another artist responded with the benefits such an event can give, not only to the artist but to the community at large. Antoinette was right! Here was my input in the thread:
The Allegany Arts Council, the City of Cumberland and the Microenterprise Council of Maryland partnered with Arts Business Institute to present "Boot Camp For Artists 2004" in Cumberland, MD. I was attending as a faculty member, and heard the mayor of Cumberland speak at the opening ceremony. What he said astounded me.
He spoke about how Cumberland had become the "poster child" city for revitalization efforts in the past few years. It had successfully turned around a severe economic downtown lasting decades, and was well on its way to becoming a thriving, lively area again.
Key to that turnaround, he said, was strong support and development of the arts and entertainment sector.
Everytime he and his cohorts (including the governor of MD) went after federal and state development grants, they advocated fiercely for they considered a critical factor in the renaissance of the area. They had done their homework, and found that attracting new industry and development through traditional means was not enough to turn things around. To be competitive in attracting business to the area, they had to also improve the quality of life--and a key component was the arts and entertainment.
Not only that, but the arts and entertainment factor was critical in its own right. People will travel far for theater, music and art, spending money at local hotels, restuarants and stores. Then they fall in love with the area and relocate, taking that revitalization to even greater heights and further adding to the value and interest of the area.
I'm not putting it into words very well, but it was astonishing and gratifying to hear someone like that come out and say how important artists and craftspeople are to the very life and survival of a community.
