Last week, Randy Cohen, Vice President of Research and Policy at Americans for the Arts, garnered media attention as the featured speaker at the Innovation & Creativity Through the Arts breakfast sponsored by the Wichita Arts Council. He shared his experience and presented ideas, inspiration, and real-world examples of how the arts can create jobs, retain young professionals, and attract new businesses.

"You think about arts as food for the soul," Cohen told Abigail Wilson of KMUW, Wichita's public radio station. "[The arts] inspire us and engage us. They improve the quality of the communities that we live in, but the fact is that they are businesses that generate and support jobs.” Cohen continued to say that the arts should not be seen as a luxury or a frill, but as an industry that draws people to Wichita; non-profit arts organizations in Wichita are responsible for supporting 2,006 jobs in the city. Audio from Cohen's interview with the radio station is available here. 

In an interview with the Wichita Eagle, Cohen addressed arts and culture and economic development in a series of five questions. When asked how people receive his message that arts and culture represent economic development, Cohen said, "People are always amazed to see the numbers, and once they see them, their thinking changes. It’s not an intuitive way to think about the arts, but when they see the data, they become believers and the conversation shifts to how they grow the industry." He noted that Wichita has a great arts community with strong local support. The full story is available here. 

Cohen is among the most noted experts in the field of arts funding, research, policy, and using the arts to address community development issues.

More information about Americans for the Arts' reserach, including the new Creative Industries Reports 2015, can be found here.