IMPACT OF ECONOMY ON THE ARTS SECTOR

[Ann Coombs]

Interested to have thoughts on how this sector will be impacted with the current economic challenges.
Are there opportunities?

[Bruce LaDuke]

Ann,

We might see more 'transformational artists' to emerge like this one => Artists for Community Transformation. Would definitely expect a shift as always accompanies social changes.

[Ann Feeney]

Hi, Ann,

I see a few areas of opportunity.

First, the more prosperous years developed an extensive body of research on the benefits of the arts for individuals, particularly children and older adults, and economic/community development. Organizations that can effectively deploy this information to funders can show that arts isn't an extra, but an investment, will have some very strong talking points.

Second, more and more nonprofits of all kinds are recognizing that they do a lot better fulfilling their mission when they collaborate with other organizations. Arts agencies and individual arts organizations can explore all kinds of opportunities with all kinds of organizations, from back-office operations to save money and increase efficiency to shared one-time projects to long-term partnerships to mergers.

Third, today's young adults, many of whom still have disposable cash, might not recognize some of their hobbies as arts, but they are certainly engaged in the arts. They create videos, they mash across media, they write, they do a lot of things that arts organizations can help nourish. Note: Most of them have different sensibilities around online paying to play in the arts, everything from open source and free software to finding free lessons online to downloading music, so programming and pricing needs to be sensitive to that.

[Ann Coombs]

Dear Ann,

An insightful view and a valuable one.

I especially see the importance of the collaborations you have described, as well as how "art" is being experienced by today's young adults.

These will be interesting times for the non-profit/social profits to look at the "back room" and find trust in mergers.

With thanks!!!



Ann Feeney said:

Hi, Ann,

I see a few areas of opportunity.

First, the more prosperous years developed an extensive body of research on the benefits of the arts for individuals, particularly children and older adults, and economic/community development. Organizations that can effectively deploy this information to funders can show that arts isn't an extra, but an investment, will have some very strong talking points.

Second, more and more nonprofits of all kinds are recognizing that they do a lot better fulfilling their mission when they collaborate with other organizations. Arts agencies and individual arts organizations can explore all kinds of opportunities with all kinds of organizations, from back-office operations to save money and increase efficiency to shared one-time projects to long-term partnerships to mergers.

Third, today's young adults, many of whom still have disposable cash, might not recognize some of their hobbies as arts, but they are certainly engaged in the arts. They create videos, they mash across media, they write, they do a lot of things that arts organizations can help nourish. Note: Most of them have different sensibilities around online paying to play in the arts, everything from open source and free software to finding free lessons online to downloading music, so programming and pricing needs to be sensitive to that.

[rick smyre]

Hi Ann....

In my opinion, one of the key connections between future economic development and the arts as we shift from an Industrial Economy thru a transition time some call a Knowledge Economy to an emerging new type of economy we call the Creative Molecular Economy, is to understand how important the arts will be to help people think holistically and enhance their creative abilities so important to a workforce that will need to be grounded in continuous innovation.

Our present educational system continues to focus on testing content of information and knowledge. As important as learning broad and deep knowledge in different "idea spaces" is ( as Richard Ogle mentions in his book, Smart World), the ability to see connections among disparate ideas and to ask appropriate questions in creative processes will become increasingly important to our economic future.

One of the ideas that has emerged in our COTF thinking is the potential for connecting artists and economic developers as one way to get beyond traditional "silo thinking" that the two areas are separate, and to build a framework of understanding that 21st century entrepreneurism requires an understanding of new technologies, a knowledge of diverse idea areas, and the creative ability to see new connections able to emerge new knowledge.

My sense, is that there would be a concomitant advantage for the arts community if such a collaborative methodolgy developed. The next five years probably will be constrained economically in multiple ways as deleveraging occurs. If history is a guide, many firms and organizations will withdraw and retreat to wait out this global economic crisis. Actually, applying the counterintuitive Chinese concept of "with crisis there is opportunity," pilot efforts to connect economic development workforce initiatives with the arts community in different ways to enhance creativity and innovation might introduce a model that could be important to the future sustainability of a new type of economy that will be based on creative ideas such as "global innovation networks," "instant manufacturing," "virtual worlds," etc.

Such an extended connection between the arts and the economic sector beyond what is already beginning to happen could provide new revenue streams for arts organizations if the concept of this type of transformational thinking helped evolved a new and deeper type of collaboration that served as research and development to seed and evolve local 21st century workforces.

[Joseph Higginbotham]

Ann:

The "opportunity" lies with the arts if we can get titular leaders (Chamber of Commerce, elected officials, CEOs) to read Richard Florida's books and see that cities and regions that grow are cities and regions with rich arts and entertainment offerings. Yeah, it turns out that young professionals are increasingly choosing to live in cities and regions where they can hear live music, see a play or visit a museum. Imagine that. We need to get people to read and to find out why cities like Austin are growing and why other cities are stagnating and declining. We have to educate titular leaders without them knowing that we're educating them. Then these newly-enlightened titular leaders need to educate their constituents without those constituents knowing they're being educated.

[e-mail]
www.linkedin.com/in/josephhigginbotham

[Ann Coombs]

History has long defined the importance of the arts ~ those who realize the influences and emerging commitment of artists in whatever field will connect with the future.

Joseph Higginbotham said:

Ann:

The "opportunity" lies with the arts if we can get titular leaders (Chamber of Commerce, elected officials, CEOs) to read Richard Florida's books and see that cities and regions that grow are cities and regions with rich arts and entertainment offerings. Yeah, it turns out that young professionals are increasingly choosing to live in cities and regions where they can hear live music, see a play or visit a museum. Imagine that. We need to get people to read and to find out why cities like Austin are growing and why other cities are stagnating and declining. We have to educate titular leaders without them knowing that we're educating them. Then these newly-enlightened titular leaders need to educate their constituents without those constituents knowing they're being educated.

[e-mail]
www.linkedin.com/in/josephhigginbotham

[Ann Coombs]

Rick... this is insightful.
Are you able to come to Vancouver and speak to an arts group?
Let me know...


rick smyre said:

Hi Ann....

In my opinion, one of the key connections between future economic development and the arts as we shift from an Industrial Economy thru a transition time some call a Knowledge Economy to an emerging new type of economy we call the Creative Molecular Economy, is to understand how important the arts will be to help people think holistically and enhance their creative abilities so important to a workforce that will need to be grounded in continuous innovation.

Our present educational system continues to focus on testing content of information and knowledge. As important as learning broad and deep knowledge in different "idea spaces" is ( as Richard Ogle mentions in his book, Smart World), the ability to see connections among disparate ideas and to ask appropriate questions in creative processes will become increasingly important to our economic future.

One of the ideas that has emerged in our COTF thinking is the potential for connecting artists and economic developers as one way to get beyond traditional "silo thinking" that the two areas are separate, and to build a framework of understanding that 21st century entrepreneurism requires an understanding of new technologies, a knowledge of diverse idea areas, and the creative ability to see new connections able to emerge new knowledge.

My sense, is that there would be a concomitant advantage for the arts community if such a collaborative methodolgy developed. The next five years probably will be constrained economically in multiple ways as deleveraging occurs. If history is a guide, many firms and organizations will withdraw and retreat to wait out this global economic crisis. Actually, applying the counterintuitive Chinese concept of "with crisis there is opportunity," pilot efforts to connect economic development workforce initiatives with the arts community in different ways to enhance creativity and innovation might introduce a model that could be important to the future sustainability of a new type of economy that will be based on creative ideas such as "global innovation networks," "instant manufacturing," "virtual worlds," etc.

Such an extended connection between the arts and the economic sector beyond what is already beginning to happen could provide new revenue streams for arts organizations if the concept of this type of transformational thinking helped evolved a new and deeper type of collaboration that served as research and development to seed and evolve local 21st century workforces.