Fueling the Creative Economy

by Evan S. Dobelle

For the past five years “creative economy” has been one of the more influential ideas in economic planning. More and more thinkers and policymakers are heralding the unexpected benefits that creative endeavors bring to economies as a whole. Popular writers such as Thomas Friedman, David Brooks and Daniel Pink have recently explored the impact creative culture and thought can have on the global marketplace.

Closer to home, the New England Council, the region’s oldest business group, has launched a Creative Economy Initiative to take a comprehensive look at the economic role of artists, designers, performers and related businesses. Its findings are startling: from 1997 to 2001, the number of jobs in the “creative cluster” of arts-related companies grew twice as fast as the New England economy as a whole. As of 2000, that cluster supported 245,000 jobs, or 3.5 percent of the total jobs in the region. That’s higher than the national average and a larger share than either the better-known software or medical technology industries can claim. The initiative has given us a clear picture of a tremendous, hitherto virtually invisible, economic engine.

Thriving local creative economies dot the New England landscape. In Old Lyme, Conn., the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts has invigorated a town with a long tradition of support for the arts by teaching old methods for a new era. In Providence, the Rhode Island School of Design has embraced a commitment to the city and helped transform a now-bustling downtown. And in North Adams, an old industrial complex now houses a world-class art museum with strong ties to the nearby Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

What these stories have in common is that a college in each case has taken the initiative and forged a new working relationship with the creative community in its area. From their examples, we can draw three lessons about how colleges can and should help foster the creative economy in New England.

Colleges first of all make excellent stewards of the arts. Museums such as the renowned Yale Center for British Art provide a stable home where cultural heritage can be safeguarded and shared. They also host visiting artists, hold symposia and attract touring exhibitions that would otherwise come only to major cities. This semester, the University of Maine brought Persian photography to Orono and Williams College finished construction of a cutting-edge theater complex.

Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges and UMass-Amherst have gone the extra step of coordinating their museums’ programming and promotion through the Five Colleges consortium. Their “Museums 10” initiative extends to shared thematic exhibitions, the first of which will focus on Dutch culture.

That sort of collaboration could work anywhere with several colleges, or where colleges have a neighboring independent museum. The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, for example, has a spectacular collection of Asian art and artifacts, with a strong emphasis on the China trade. It represents a great opportunity for nearby schools and colleges to develop a comprehensive K-16 Asian studies program that would prepare students for the post-globalization economy.

Second, there’s the matter of real estate, because another element common to all of the stories in this issue is the importance of abundant, affordable space where artists can do their work. Lowell and Manchester, N.H., had enormous industrial complexes just begging for new life; Providence had the benefit of an entire downtown district ready for a makeover. In Maine, Gov. John Baldacci sees the creative economy as a vehicle for reviving old mill towns and attracting new business. He has put real weight behind that vision, raising awareness through a conference and a task force and proposing state support for art education and policy in his latest budget.

When there is space available at a reasonable price, government and smart institutions can step in and plant the seed for renovation and rediscovery. A well-placed museum, or campus building, or theater can start the process of renewal, as artists and students move in and businesses such as fine restaurants follow to meet the demand.

The situation is different in those cities where real estate is at a premium and the needs of higher education and the creative community seem at cross-purposes. In Boston, for example, the simultaneous expansion of several universities has helped boost real estate values over the past decade, but also moved large institutions to think about their impact on the fragile creative communities nearby. Emerson College has expanded while bringing new life and culture to Boston’s downtown. Its development has enhanced the city’s theater, radio and writing scenes and preserved several historic buildings. It’s just one result of how innovative planning and collaboration between colleges and residents could go a long way toward protecting our creative resources.

But higher education’s most vital role in this sphere is to prepare the people who drive the creative economy: tomorrow’s architects, painters, sculptors, writers, dancers, designers, thinkers, entrepreneurs. It is in this area that bold leadership will pay the most dividends. We are waking up to the fact that music, dance and other arts programs are not luxuries. In the new economy, committed study in the arts can be as financially rewarding as it is enlightening. And artists, art organizations and arts-related businesses bolster our economy as they feed our imaginations.

Moreover, the type of thinking encouraged by artistic study is in demand in all sorts of fields, even those not traditionally considered “creative.” The more students learn to trust their intuition and take risks, the better-suited they will be for a quickly changing world. Artistic instruction in college and earlier can instill these vital traits.

We can only grow stronger by embracing and supporting our innovators and creative thinkers. New England has been denigrated by some as an old, cold “cultural theme park” that has little to offer business. But our cultural strengths are nothing to hide, and can instead be a distinct advantage.

Maybe it’s time we stop worrying about being a “theme park” and instead focus our energy on becoming a global cultural capital.

Evan S. Dobelle is president and CEO of NEBHE.