Artists' Centers
Those of us who live in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul know that we're fortunate to have an unusually rich environment of artistic activities. But we may not know much about the social mechanisms that support the arts, bringing artists together with each other and with funders and other supporters.
Our knowledge has been greatly increased by the just-published study Artists' Centers: Evolution and Impact on Careers, Neighborhoods and Economies written by Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs Prof. Ann Markusen and grad student research assistant Amanda Johnson. The study, a product of the Project on Regional and Industrial Economics (PRIE), can be downloaded at http://www.hhh.umn.edu/projects/prie/artists_centers.html, which also gives directions for ordering a print copy.
The study attributes a large part of the Twin Cities' ability to "generate, attract, and retain high concentrations of artists" to the "creation of dedicated centers where artists can learn, network, get and receive feedback, exhibit, perform, and share space and equipment. " They further "believe these spaces not only serve artists but contribute to economic and community development in their respective regions." Twenty-two such centers - for writing and book arts, dance, theater, composition, textiles, ceramics, visual arts, etc. - are profiled, along with a similar number of artists.
Particularly pertinent to the place-based nature of public engagement is this paragraph from the study's Preface:
In general, the contemporary discourse on cultural and economic development policy undervalues the significance of space and place in the arts. Arts administrators and funders tend to think organizationally. But many artists and art fans think instead of a place: a theater space, a gallery, a jazz club, an art crawl, or even an entire arts neighborhood that they love to visit and revisit. Ongoing access to spaces that offer novelty and serendipitous encounters with other artists and art lovers is a great gift for artists. It is not only the events and equipment that matter, but also the networks and friendships formed around them. We argue that "more and better" artists, to use the rather crass terminology of economics, emerge in and are attracted to towns and cities that offer a portfolio of dedicated spaces for learning, networking, exhibition, and sharing tools and workspace. Once there, they contribute to the host economy by exporting their work, contracting with businesses to make them more productive and profitable, stimulating innovation on the part of suppliers, and bringing income and energy to their neighborhoods.
The University is intimately involved in all of this through the education of students who become artists; the participation of students, faculty, and staff in the artists' centers during their off-campus lives; and the circulation of artists and audiences between campus and centers, many of which are in neighborhoods near the University. And, through this valuable study, the analysis of the social and economic importance of it all.