Running head: Strengthening Communities through the Arts

Strengthening Communities through the Arts

Sarah Baker
Eastern University

Strengthening Communities through the Arts

Strengthening Communities through the Arts

From creative placemaking to social impact design, art and culture has a positive impact on
communities at the local, national, and global level. In the following paper, I will highlight these
benefits to demonstrate the unique role that art can play in community development.
At the local level, art has economic, aesthetic, and social benefits. Creative communities not
only generate new jobs, but also attract outside investments. According to Markusen and Gadwa
(2010), when community-members become patrons of local art and culture, these dollars recirculate at a higher rate in the local economy (p. 5). In Arkansas alone, there are over 27
thousand people employed in the creative arts industry, a workforce that generates over 927
million dollars in revenue each year.
In addition to these economic benefits, arts initiatives can help strengthen community
development strategies through beautification and revitalization. When local governments apply
principles of design to city planning, for example, livability increases to promote rich and lively
environments. Something as simple as revitalizing a vacant lot generates tax revenue, provides
jobs, beautifies a neighborhood, and attracts continued investment. In fact, many cities across
the United States are infusing design principles into city planning strategies to increase the
quality of the built environment. In many cases, these initiatives double as leadership training
programs to ensure ongoing success. One example highlighted in a report by the National
Governors Association (NGA) is the South Carolina Design Arts Partnership program. This
program trains local leaders to apply elements of design to city planning, development and even
construction zoning (NGA, p. 23).

Strengthening Communities through the Arts

Promoting the arts sector has a social impact on local communities as well. Arts
programming, for example, can strengthen community ties by building bridges and
understanding between diverse groups. A Somali immigrant community in Minnesota, for
example, uses art to preserve their culture and share their experiences with the wider community.
One Somali elder expressed hope that a story-telling project could teach outsiders about the
Somali culture to challenge misconceptions about what it meant to be a refugee (Gadwa & Byrd,
2009, p.20).
On a national level, the creative arts industry can be utilized to promote destination cities
across the United States that attract tourism and increase revenue. As these creative hubs grow,
collaboration and synergy will also increase to incubate new ideas and new hubs. In other
words, though the economic benefits of these events have a larger impact on the local level, the
collaboration and new ideas spurred by these events have a national impact. ArtPrize, an art
installation festival in Grand Rapids, is one example. Every year, this festival showcases 1,500
works of art from artists across the nation and attracts thousands of tourists who participate in
this unique event by voting on their favorite installation.
Finally, on a global level, the creative arts industry can give businesses an international edge
in the global economy by pairing innovative designs with industry. In a competitive, global
economy, value is increasingly determined by a products uniqueness, performance, and design
[therefore] creativity is becoming a critical competitive advantage (NGA, p. 21). Creativity can
also play a key role to address the impact of global poverty. Social impact design, for example,
harnesses design principles to create unique products to meet the needs of poor communities
around the world. From bicycle-powered cell phone chargers to smokeless stoves, these designs
are impacting the global community.

Strengthening Communities through the Arts

References
Gadwa, A. & Byrd, E. (2009). Working effectively with Somali residents through the arts:
collective wisdom from the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. Metris Arts Consulting.
Retrieved from www.metrisarts.com.
Gadwa, A., & Markusen, A. (2010). Creative placemaking. National Endowment for the Arts.
Retrieved from www.metrisarts.com.
National Governors Association (n.a.) Arts and the economy: using arts and culture to stimulate
state economic development. Retrieved from www.nga.org.