Stephanie Hanson

The Creative Economy Has Our Attention. Now It Needs a United Voice. (from Arts Watch)

Posted by Stephanie Hanson, Sep 29, 2010 3 comments


Stephanie Hanson

Stephanie Evans

There has been a lot of talk about the creative economy coming out of Washington, DC, lately—from the NEA’s recent panel discussion last week on Creative Placemaking, to the Center for American Progress’ panel which discussed The Creative Economy:  How to Keep the Fuel of Creation and Innovation Burning (If you have an hour and a half, I highly recommend watching the video of this panel). Also last week, Partners for Livable Communities hosted a forum on Building Livable Communities:  Creating a Common Agenda. 

I was lucky to have snagged a seat at the sold-out and standing-room-only Center for American Progress Creative Economy panel, which took place on September 21. There were some key takeaways and important points that are worth repeating and sharing.

It’s also interesting that within the span of less than two weeks, three separate organizations (a federal government agency, a progressive think tank, and a national nonprofit) felt it important to invest the time and energy into the topics of creative economy and livability. I believe this is a reflection of the years of hard work and advocacy put in by many artists, arts administrators, advocates, journalists, and citizens who have pushed to get arts and culture to the center of the discussion around how we can begin to solve the economic and social challenges that are plaguing our country.  It’s uplifting to note that in some corners of our world (and U.S. government) that there are those who “get it.”

At the Center for American Progress, the panel and moderator Judy Woodruff defined what the creative economy meant - it’s 11 percent of our Gross Domestic Product.  This led to a discussion on the barriers and challenges that the country faces in maintaining a High Imagination Economy (a term coined by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, another panelist).

While our country is full of creative and imaginative people with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, panelists argued that a lack of leadership and policy from federal government, economic constraints, and unbalanced copyright laws are all challenges that the creative economy faces in attracting imaginative people to its’ work force. 

The remaining conversation centered on the barriers and challenges that we face in maintaining a High Imagination Economy. Each panelist agreed that while there is currently a strong entrepreneurial and creative energy running through our country, the health of our creative economy is in peril. It seems to be difficult for a creative person to break into the creative economy, and make his or her full time living contributing their time and energy to the sector. The reasons for this, as identified by the panelists, include a lack of leadership and policy from federal government, economic constraints, and unbalanced copyright laws that prevent reuse and reinvention of art that has already been created.

What are possible solutions and “fixes” to these challenges?  Panelists offered a wide variety of ideas.  Thomas Friedman envisioned part of the solution to our ill creative economy as lying within a reimagining of immigration legislation (make it easier for smart, creative people to live and work here), incentivizing venture capital, and putting an equal amount of energy into fostering education in the liberal arts as we do into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In fact almost all of the panelists cited arts education as an important need in reforming education.

Television director and producer Paris Barclay called on the federal government to create policy that would make the creative economy profitable. He expressed frustration at the fact that his hard work and creativity was being viewed for free all over the internet. He contended (rightly so) that so much art does not get made because it is not profitable. Despite copyright laws, artistic work is too available for free. 

All of these points are strong suggestions and solutions to a large and widespread challenge. However, I’m always one who looks for the root cause of an issue. I also believe that we, as a field, need to get past the point where we are blaming federal government for not creating the right policies to support our industry. New copyright laws, immigration reform, a reimagining of venture capital law, and an overhaul of our education system are all necessary. 

However, at the end of the panel discussion, I finally heard what I believe to be our root problem.  Former National Endowment for the Arts chairman Bill Ivey said it first, and others on the panel agreed.  The creative economy sector has not yet presented a united voice in talking to the public or to our policy makers. Within our government, and across our country, there is a lack of consensus and no one agrees on what should be done. It is no secret that Bill Ivey believes our country needs a Department of Cultural Affairs. Many people agree with him, and many don’t. 

It was not unusual to hear a panel on the creative economy focus mostly on topics of commercialization and securing value for creative works in domestic and international markets. However, the nonprofit arts community is a considerable creative economic force on its own and we must find our seat at the table when these issues are discussed. Our creative economy takes place in communities, and produces goods and services that cannot be outsourced to another country. Our creative economy can be boosted with thoughtful support from government programs and leveraged into successful models that cities and states will use to improve their communities. We’ve accomplished the first step of this plan – organizations, individuals, and parts of the federal government are talking about the arts, and spending a lot of time developing solutions to the sector’s challenges. Now we just need to unite into a visible force for policy change.

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3 responses for The Creative Economy Has Our Attention. Now It Needs a United Voice. (from Arts Watch)

Comments

October 02, 2010 at 5:09 pm

I think this creative economy thing is just another way to steal people's money by applying taxes on the smallest of things possible.

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September 30, 2010 at 2:59 pm

Here in Philadelphia there is a united voice, and it's called DesignPhiladelphia. Now in its sixth year, DesignPhiladelphia is the largest celebration of its kind. Taking place October 7 - 17, this citywide, cultural program offers more than 150 lectures, exhibitions, movie viewings, runway shows, book signings, workshops, demonstrations, studio tours, and special events that celebrate design's many dimensions, dynamics, and applications. It's a chance to check out the processes, the materials and ideas behind what it takes to create an office tower, build a website, publish a newspaper, design a car, craft a lamp, mount an exhibition, stage a fashion show, conduct a workshop, and address big issues like sustainability, transportation systems, and international networks. DesignPhiladelphia, in partnership with the University of the Arts, exists to celebrate creativity - from architecture to interior design, fashion to product design, multi-media to graphic design. The program aims to enhance this region's creative economy and help retain jobs locally. All the while, DesignPhiladelphia places Philadelphia in the spotlight as a city unrivalled in innovation and vibrancy - an excellent place to live, work, play and grow. This year we're topping all our previous celebrations, with more designers, more events, and more opportunities to see, talk, network, exchange, and experience design. However, there's almost no financial aid for our efforts. Over the years, the for-profit and non-profit sectors have offered a great deal of in-kind support and that has kept DesignPhiladelphia afloat. Clearly, begging on a year-to-year basis is not a viable model. Where can I go to get real funding to grow this program, one that everyone involved agrees is essential to the future of our city, and every city across the nation? Hilary Jay

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October 03, 2010 at 11:38 am

Creative sector should have a voice in the economy because as we observe big contribution are part of them.

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