4 Art
The City can continue cultivating a culture of support for various forms of art, foster connections that help bolster the City’s identity as an arts community, and, in doing so, increase the economic benefits of the art industry to the to hire creatives community. struggle to find
SUPPORT THE CREATIVE ARTS ECONOMY. The arts contributed $763.6 billion to the U.S. economy in 2015, four times more than the agricultural sector and outpacing the transportation and warehousing industries as well. This fast-growing and diverse sector includes not only visual arts, sculpture, and theater that we might traditionally think of as “the arts,” but also web publishing, television and movie production, design, and architectural services. Within the state of New Hampshire, the arts contribute over $2.3 billion, or 3.1% of the state’s economy annually, and employ more than 20,000 people (Source: New Hampshire State Council on the Arts). In addition to pure numbers, an economy rich in the arts brings several advantages to the cities and regions that nurture them. Artists are 3.5 times more likely than the average U.S. worker to be self-employed. This kind of entrepreneurship can launch small businesses that then create employment for others. Those who do not work for themselves are in high demand as employees elsewhere: 97% of U.S. employers say creativity is an important consideration in making new hires, yet 85% of employers looking
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qualified applicants. An arts-rich economy also benefits the City as a whole. Cities that embrace creative placemaking see Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, as do those with high levels of community attachment, which an arts-focused identity can nurture. The presence of arts districts has also been shown to drive innovation in a city’s other industries and is associated with higher numbers of patents citywide. In addition, cities with thriving creative arts economies boost their tourism prospects. Most American travelers report participating in cultural activities while traveling, and cultural travelers spend more than other types of travelers – pumping an additional $500 per trip into the destination’s local economy on average – and they take more trips as well.
