At the 2008 Arts & Culture Convention, David Boje put together some background on Creative & Green Economy.
We are fortunate in the 2009 WHAT'S ART? CONVENTION to explore the Creative & Green Economy, to have as speakers Santa Fe Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Wurzburger and author John Villani. His 2009 book, The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining, no longer mentions Mesilla and Las Cruces. In his 2005 edition of the book, New Mexico recommendations include Santa Fe, Taos, Silver City, Ruidoso, and Mesilla. Plus Las Cruces is indicated (with Mesilla as the heart of the Arts Scene,pp. 297-300). Mesilla is described as having the best or second past town plaza (depending if one puts Santa Fe’s ahead, or not of Mesilla). The Arts Scene is described as in Mesilla, but “the region’s premier visual arts venue is the Las Cruces Museum of Fine Arts” (p. 298). Other Las Cruces Museums are also stressed. Clearly, we need to convince John Villani that Mesilla, Las Cruces, and Silver City belong back in the guide book. We hope he and Santa Fe Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Wurzburger will go on walking tours, and attend some of the workshops of WHAT'S ART? Convention of Southern New Mexico on Oct 3rd 2009.
Keep in mind arts and culture is an industry that generates $166.2 billion in arts organizations' spending and audience-spending, and pays almost $30 billion in revenues to all levels of government, plus local audiences pay $27.79 in other purchases, and travelers about $40 more than ticket price in hotel, meals, and retail purchases. WHAT'S ART Convention is co-supported by NMSU, Las Cruces, Mesilla, Downtown Partnership US Senator Bingaman, State Senator Fishmann, SYNERGY, Greater Chamber of Commerce, and arts organizations (Alma d'arte Charter School, A Children's Theatre, Mikey's Place, Mesilla Museum Foundation, Watercolor Society, ArtForms, & City of Artist Promotional Association).
We had invited another speaker, Richard Florida, but the fee fo $40,000 for a half hour talk (plus 1st class air faire and expenses for two, made his visit unrealistic. Florida's book (2006 p.1) suggests that Creative Cities are "cauldrons of creativity."
Fortunately there are basic Creative Economy guides such as New England Creative Economy Report (2007). And an excellent one done by Arkansas
http://www.arkansasarts.com/programs/ArkansasCreative.pdf
See also
http://www.nasaa-arts.org/publications/creative_econ_brief.pdf
There are other authors, such as John Hartey (2005: 2) who suggests that Creative Industries of a city or county attract artists, professors, scientists, and musicians. Creative Cities writes Jinna Tay (p. 220, in Hartey) "are spaces you want to be in, places to be seen." And John Howkins (2002) has written about the Creative Economy, and Charles Landry (2000) has a toolkit for developing the Creative City.
There are several historic preservation areas in Dona Ana County that can be drawn into a clarity of artistic purpose: Las Cruces Downtown (including Rio Grande theater & Amador Hotel), Mesilla Plaza, and Mesquite Historic District Neighborhood. These three areas are the heart of the Las Cruces rural creative economy. It attracts a creative class of families to move here. The Creative Class expects an active arts and music scene, including 'edgy arts events' and a vibrant street life as reasons to move to a city (Florida, 2004: p. 224, 231-2). Besides urban creative economy the surrounding rural economy of Las Cruces is important to consider. there are other creative economies throughout Southern New Mexico that need exploration, and public awareness.
WHAT'S ART? WHO DECIDES? Art in a Creative Economy, is part of the "Creative Ecosystem" of Southern New Mexico. "The term 'creative ecosystem' refers to the set of dynamic interrelationships between creative artists, their 'audiences' (i.e. customers, volunteers and supporters), and the infrastructure that supports artists and brings their work to the public." Read Report about what is happening to Creative Ecosystem - THE MID-HUDSON VALLEY CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM IN A TIME OF CRISIS The impact of the financial crisis on the region’s arts community, and strategies to promote recovery Harvey Seifter and Judy Levine April 20, 2009.
The Green Economy compliments the Creative Economy. Green Economy mobilizes and refouses what is happening in our global economy (e.g. United Nations Investment Programme) on investments in clean technologies, sustainable energy, Green Building (e.g. Buld Green New Mexico) and treating New Mexico deserts and forests, water and solar as an antenarrative (a bet before narrative) on real growth, incuindg triggering Green Employment in the 21st century. Brian Milani's (2000) book, Designing the Green Economy, documents the transition from Post-Fordist (unsustainable) to a the Green Economy. The transition is far from complete, global economic, ecological and social crises continue. In Danaher, Biggs, & Mark's (2007) book, Building the Green Economy..., the grassroots efforts possible in small cities and towns is considered paramount. they give examples of how all classes across a campus from arts to economics, focus on Green initiatives (p. 167). New Mexico Statue University, declaring 2009 the Year of Sustainability have done precisely this.
According to Global Exchange (2005), "From clean energy to Fair Trade to farmers' markets, socially and ecologically responsible alternatives are increasingly gaining popularity in the United States....According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, American consumers spent more than $2 trillion in 2004 on "nondurable goods" such as food, clothing, and fuel." "President Obama’s plans to push Congress for a comprehensive stimulus package that includes more than $50 billion for energy efficiency and new energy projects, as well as $500 million for green jobs training programs" (Business Week, 2009).
Currently, there are Stimulus Dollars for building a green economy: "The stimulus alone dumped $167 billion in grants and loan guarantees for clean-energy and other projects onto the Department of Energy, dwarfing its $27 billion annual budget to such a degree that its inspector general frantically warned that the department could buckle under the strain. There’s even talk of refitting the White House with solar panels" (Josua Green, TheAtlantic, 2009).
In Southern New Mexico, the WHAT'S ART? Convention focuses on green economy in Las Cruces, for two days, (Oct 2nd & 3rd) to talk about opportunities for attracting green jobs to New Mexico and legislation that would encourage the state's green economy. This includes how to put Southern New Mexico arts and cuulture(in its Creative Economy) in a position to capture the green jobs and investments.
Economies are revitalized with arts and cultural investment. A Las Cruces Arts & Entertainment District designation by the State of New Mexico would showcase the spectacular arts and culture: performing, visual, literary, and culinary --- with the potential to attract visitors to the downtown area, simulate the local economy, and create international awareness.
The 2nd Annual WHAT’S ART CONVENTION held in October showcases performing, visual, literary, and culinary arts, plus historic cultural storytelling tours of the Creative Economy. It’s art entrepreneurship incubator for artist-producers, and workshops for consumers and advocates, including ‘business for the arts.’ Creative industries are a boost to other sectors of the economy: restaurants, bookstores, specialty shops, and hotels. Arts and culture entrepreneurship is an economic driver generating significant employment in the regional hotel, restaurant and tourism economy. Students participating in service learning and civic engagement help establish social cohesion, community pride, and self-sufficiency.
Juan Quezada as a boy, 40 years ago, discovered painted pot fragments in a cave near his home. He is an entrepreneur who recreated the ancient pottery methods of the Paquime Indians. Its culture had died out centuries ago. Quezada trained other sin his village, now the town of Mata Ortiz. Several hundred master artisans make the pottery. Some of them travel to Las Cruces, put on demonstrations of the lost art at the Peddler’s Pavilion. Las Cruces and Mesilla have significant cultural creativity that with some strategic promotion can develop into a significant creative economy.
Manchester (UK) Craftsmen’s Guild (a multi-discipline, minority directed, center ofr the arts and learning) employs visual and performing arts to foster a sense of accomplishment and hope in its urban community by promoting jazz and visual arts to stimulate intercultural understanding, and demonstrate arts and cultural entrepreneurship
In 2004, where no international folk art market existed, one was created in Santa Fe, and resulted in a significant gathering of artists and collectors to create a cultural market.
Quotes that follow come from Thomas H. Aageson’s (2008) presentation “New Mexico’s Creative Economy” (Dec 305, Santa Fe, NM, National Lt. Governors Association; Aageson is Executive Director of Museum of New Mexico Foundation) see report
“Gallup, Silver City and Santa Fe have between 15% and 20% of their employment supported by arts-related businesses”
New Mexico Arts & Culture Impact Impact on New Mexico’s Overall Economy: $3.1 billion Impact on Employment: 58,772 jobs Impact on Salaries: $912 million Impact on Tax Revenues: $230 million Impact on New Mexico’s Tourism Industry: $1.53 billion
“New Mexico has an estimated 20,000 Cultural Enterprises Led by Cultural Entrepreneurs”
“Santa Fe’s Arts and Cultural Industries employed 12,567 people representing 17.5% of total employment in Santa Fe county and paid $231.5 million in wages and salaries.” BBER Study “Cultural enterprises are commercial ventures that connect creators and artists to markets and consumers. They create, produce and market cultural goods and services, generating economic, cultural and social opportunities for creators while adding cultural value for consumers.”
“Cultural capital can include traditions, music, skills, dress, stories, art, decorations, feasts and celebrations, food, place, dwellings (antique, historic), etc.” “Cultural Entrepreneurs are cultural change agents and resourceful visionaries who generate revenue from a cultural activity. Their innovative solutions result in economically sustainable cultural enterprises that enhance livelihoods and create cultural value and wealth for both creative producers and consumers of cultural services and products.” (Source: Aageson, Thomas H. 2008) Cultural Entrepreneurs: Producing Cultural Value and Wealth. The Cultures and Globalizations Series: The Cultural Economy. Ed. Anheler, Helmut and Yudishthir Raj Isar. London: Sage (pp. 920197).
New Mexico Economic Development Department has a Green Economy initiative. "On January 22, 2009, the Governor formed the Green Jobs Cabinet to promote New Mexico’s Green Economy, create new green jobs both in rural and urban communities, and ensure that New Mexicans are trained and prepared to succeed in these jobs." Some of those jobs are in in Green Arts and Culture.
In Congressman Harry Teague's Congressional District, there are six listed Green Economy Organizaitons (According to Environmental Defense Fund):
THIS IS THE TIME TO DEVELOP OUR CREATIVE ARTS ECONOMY: GOVERNOR JOBS FOR ARTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES – Apr 10 2009 - SANTA FE NM- Governor Bill Richardson announced that New Mexico Arts, the state arts agency and a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been awarded $297,000 in federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts to preserve arts jobs in New Mexico under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "The arts are extremely important economic and tourism drivers in New Mexico,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “We want to insure that our artists and arts organizations not only survive but thrive during these tough economic times.” Loie Fecteau, executive director of New Mexico Arts, said the state arts agency successfully submitted a plan to the National Endowment for the Arts to allocate $247,000 from its total NEA recovery funds to nonprofit arts organizations across New Mexico. “We’re very pleased we got a green light from the NEA to get these Arts Jobs funds out to nonprofit arts organizations across our state,” Fecteau said. “We appreciate that Congress understands the importance of the arts in the economic recovery.” Under NEA rules, the arts recovery funds may only be used to pay for “salary support, full or partial, for one or more positions that are critical to an organization’s artistic mission and that are in jeopardy or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate and/or fees for previously engaged artists and/or contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged.” Fecteau said nonprofit arts organizations may apply to New Mexico Arts for an Arts Jobs Grant for either up to $20,000 in salary support for an endangered arts job or up to $7,500 to pay for artists’ fees or contractors, as specified in the NEA rules and criteria. “Priority will be given to arts organizations that serve our underserved populations, especially in rural New Mexico,” Fecteau said. “We expect to be able to give out between 15 and 20 of these Arts Jobs Grants.”
Some References on Creative Economy and
Boje, David. M. 2008. Las Cruces and Mesilla Valley Forgotten History: An Antenarrative. Report delivered to Las Cruces City Council on Dec 8th 2008, and to Mesilla Mayor and Trustees in Feb 2009. http://peaceaware.com/talkingstick/TSI_history/Arts%20Scene%20Socioeconomic%20Growth.pdf
Kevin Danaher, Kevin;, Biggs, Shannon; & Mark, Jason. 2007. Building the Green Economy: Success Stories form the Grass-roots. Publisher: Polipoint Press.
Florida, Richard. 2008. Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life. NY: Basic Books.
Florida, Richard. 2006. Cities and the Creative Class. NY: Routledge.
Florida, Richard. 2004. The Rise of the Creative Class. NY: Basic Books.
Hartley, John. (ed). 2005. Creative Industries. UK/Australia: Blackwell Publishers.
Howkins, John. 2002. The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas. Penguin Global.
Landry, Charles. 2000. The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators. Earthscan Publications Ltd.
Milani, Brian. 2000. Designing the Green Economy: The Postindustrial Alternative to Corporate Globalization. Publisher: Rowan & Littlefield http://www.greeneconomics.net/Book3.htm
Villani, John. 2009. The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining. Countryman Pr. Note: In his 2009 book the Small Art Cities in New Mexico: Magdelena, Ruidoso, Truth or Consequences, and of course Santa Fe and Taos (pp. 144-157).
Villani, John. 2005. 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging, and Dining. Note" in this edition, he recommends in New Mexico, Santa Fe, Taos, Silver City, Ruidoso, and Mesilla.
Villani, John. 2004. Boomtown USA: The 7-1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns. Publisher: National Association of Industrial and Office.