On Wednesday, August 12, the Des Moines Register published an op-ed by John Pappajohn titled "The Arts Mean Business in Iowa." The op-ed comes several days ahead of the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus, held on August 14 and co-hosted with the Iowa Arts Council, Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, BRAVO Greater Des Moines, NAMM, and the United States Conference of Mayors.
Pappajohn's op-ed highlights key data gathered by a recent Americans for the Arts study: nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences within Iowa’s Cultural Corridor of 11 counties alone generate $80 million annually and support more than 2,500 full-time equivalent jobs. These jobs and related audience expenditures return $3.3 million in local tax revenue and an additional $4.1 million in state tax revenue. There are 5,834 creative industry businesses in Iowa — which include everything from art museums to graphic art studios — with more than 22,000 employees.
Iowa’s rich arts sector includes a full set of major cultural institutions as well as many smaller but impressive arts organizations fueled by strong partnerships with Iowa businesses. Business support for the arts is a vital piece of Iowa’s arts funding ecosystem and the city’s businesses and arts organizations have banded together to help the city attract and retain talent.
Two Des Moines-based corporations recognize that the arts can help with recruitment and retention. The Principal Financial Group started assembling its own art collection back in the 1960s. The art-filled campus is more than an inviting workplace — it has helped attract employees and provide inspiration. EMC Insurance Companies runs a visual arts competition called Art EMC for current and former Iowa residents. EMC buys several of the submissions to add to its permanent collection. These efforts express company values and culture — adding art to a workplace shows that creativity is valued.
Pappajohn remarked that companies like The Principal Financial Group and EMC have a vested interest in making the region stronger, and the push to make Des Moines more attractive is paying off. The population is growing, unemployment rates are falling, and the number of young people engaged in civic life is increasing. A strong arts scene and a culturally vibrant community is a significant economic driver that shouldn’t be overlooked by Iowa’s businesses or its elected leaders.
Americans for the Arts will reinforce these messages when they come to Des Moines on August 14 for the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus. The statewide training event will educate arts advocates and messengers at the Iowa Presidential Caucuses, as well as invite presidential candidates to speak on their arts policy position. More information is
here, as well as a press release on the caucus
here. Twitter users can follow the event via #ArtsVote2016.
