The message during yesterdays meeting of the Tacoma City Council Economic Development Committee was simple: supporting the arts in Tacoma is good business.
Tacoma has done amazing things with the arts downtown to provide a quality of life to attract creative people, which is important, said Dwight Gee, Vice President of Community Affairs at ArtsFund, an organization that expands support for non-profit arts organizations in King and Pierce Counties by providing approximately $4 million annually to over 60 non-profit arts groups.
Gee pointed to the Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, Theatre District, and Washington State History Museum as examples of the citys arts-related revitalization.
More importantly, he pointed to the economic impact these institutions, as well as smaller arts organizations, have on Tacoma and Pierce County.
Citing a study conducted in 2003 by the University of Washington and GMA Research Corporation, funded by a lead grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and released in November 2004, arts and heritage organizations in Pierce County generated $90.47 million in aggregate sales, provided 3,701 jobs, created $39.16 million worth of income in labor, and provided an aggregate taxes of $3.32 million.
Similarly, Gee told the committee that roughly one-fourth of arts-related revenue and jobs come from outside the county, resulting annually in new money sales of $30.5 million, 1,299 jobs, $13.2 million worth of income from labor, and aggregate tax revenue of 1.1 million.
On the operations side, arts organizations spend $25.5 million (up from $17.8 million in 1997), and earn approximately $27.1 million annually. The margin is very thin, said Gee.
Still, Gee stressed his message that arts investment brings benefits to the city. The bottom line is that every component is important, he said. Arts events can be on the radar for economic development. This is a good investment, and were getting a good return.
He told the committee that a vibrant arts infrastructure could draw highly creative individuals and industries with high-paying jobs to the city. As businesses move in, they expect these things to function in the community.
Deputy Mayor Connie Ladenburg suggested that the citys economic development department develop a marketing package that focuses on arts in Tacoma as a tool to recruit new businesses.
Mayor Bill Baarsma expressed enthusiasm for all the focus on arts investment at the south end of downtown, but was disappointed by the current condition of Broadways north end. Hopefully the Winthrop Hotel will become something other than a vertical slum, said Mayor Baarsma, referring to the aged high-rise hotel located art Broadway and Ninth Avenue. Im concerned about arts at this end of the avenue, and whats going on around the Theater District This side of Broadway is something were going to need to focus on and try to improve.
It gives us perspective as to the economic impact of the arts, said Councilmember Rick Talbert. I think were starting to finally get all those pieces together to have that vibrancy in the city.
