On Feb. 1, the Ann Arbor City Council voted to invite the Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy and the Arts Alliance to partner with it in developing a Greenway Park and Arts Center at 415 W. Washington S. The lack of affordable space for arts studios and professional exhibition and performance space in Ann Arbor was cited as one of the reasons for undertaking this initiative.

Since then, some have questioned the value of investing in artists. Unlike cultural organizations, which are easy to spot and whose economic impact can be readily calculated, artists are tougher to categorize. What is known about artists as a sector, however, provides compelling evidence that developing 415 W.Washington  as an arts center makes good business sense.

"Artistic activity is often viewed as a discretionary element in a regional economy, rather like icing on a cake of industry, finance and basic services," writes Ann Markusen, director of Regional and Industrial Economics at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, in her ground-breaking study, The Artistic Dividend: The Arts' Hidden Contributions to Regional Development (2005). 

This is an impoverished view, she argues, suggesting that "the productivity of and earnings in a regional economy rise as the incidence of artists within its boundaries increases, because artists' creativity and specialized skills enhance the design, production and marketing of products and services in other sectors.

"Artists also contribute to what economists call the economic base of a region -- the goods and services exported out of the region that enable the producers to earn incomes that are in turn spent on support of local-serving businesses as well as on imports of yet other goods and services," Markusen goes on to say. "Artists contribute to this economic base when their work and performances are paid for by consumers and businesses elsewhere."

Artists as significant contributors to regional economic vitality can be found in many art centers, with the oldest and best-known being the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Va. Formerly a munitions factory, the facility houses 82 studios, six galleries, and two workshops serving 165 artists. It welcomes approximately 500,000 visitors annually who purchase artwork, take classes, and engage in a host of other income-generating activities, such as shopping and eating in nearby establishments.

If 415 W. Washington were to be developed along these lines, there is no reason to think artists would have a less favorable impact on our community. 

According to study The Creative Economy in Washtenaw County, produced by Ann Arbor SPARK in 2008, artists and other members of the creative economy already generate 10% of the county's entire payroll and account for 4.6% of the county's total work force. If such numbers are the result of benign neglect, just think of the impact that could take place if artists were allowed an affordable, safe place to work!

To receive periodic updates on the proposal to develop an art center at 415 West Washington, contact Tamara Real at The Arts Alliance, (734) 213-2566.