If asked, most small business owners would not include Support Artists on their top five list for increasing business and bettering the overall well-being of their communities. Even in the 21st century the Artist is often perceived as outside the mainstream and more of a curiosity than a vital contributor to everyday society.

The above thinking persists even though in 2011 U.S. artists exported over 72 billion dollars to other nations while the U.S. only imported around 25 billion dollars of art related goods. The record export numbers led to a nearly a 50 billion dollar offset toward the ongoing trade imbalance with other countries. And those are just exports, the economic local impact around the country is multiples of that.

“It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough
—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities,
that yields us the results that make our heart sing.”
–Steve Jobs

• Austin Energy, Austin, TX
  Austin Energy supports the arts and culture of Austin by providing $9 million annually to the city’s Economic Development Department,

• CopperPoint Insurance Companies, Phoenix, AZ
  Since 2002, CopperPoint Insurance has sponsored Phoenix’s artistic community.

• Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH
  Proctor & Gamble has commissioned major pieces of public artwork, invested a quarter-million dollars annually into arts programs, and, in the last ten years alone, donated $20.9 million to ArtsWave, the Cincinnati region’s local arts agency.

Walk On The Cooperative Marketing Path

One of the most effective ways to engage with your customers is through a challenge or match to what they purchase. You could for example offer to donate 10% of their purchase price to an Arts Foundation or to something appealing to a younger crowd by donating to Patreon.com which supports over a million creatives with monthly payments.

The quick way to have your event challenge get noticed is to invite 3 or 4 other businesses to become part of it, in effect you’d be create a temporary coop marketing event.

A Coop Marketing event will pool your advertising dollars as well as giving your social media marketing added heft, this will get the word out to a broader audience faster than doing it alone.

Below is a short video entitled The health Benefits of Awe, Jason Silva waxes poetically as only he can about the transforming nature of technology we have now and technology coming our way in the future to break open our perceptions of our limited minds and our sense of reality. And while I agree with his overview there is something he’s left out of his three minute video.

Since the beginnings of time Artists have cracked opened the minds of those who are willing to “Look.”  And the call to Support Artists is a call to continue transforming creativity itself from something dreamt about to something everyone can put to work for better lives, our own lives and the lives of all those around us.

“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
~ Pablo Picasso

The Economy Grows When You Support Local Artists

The more inviting our communities become the stronger the economy becomes which adds strength to our institutions and quality of life. When we support local artists we are adding helping to create a place full of amazing opportunities for ourselves and out children.

Individuals and businesses that support local artists are leading their communities into a rich and abundant future.

https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/ARTS_FullInfographic_FINAL_0.pdf

2018 National Economic Findings on The Arts

• For all national findings, see this arts data profile.

• The arts contributed $763.6 billion to the U.S. economy in 2015, 4.2 percent of GDP and counted 4.9 million workers, who earned $372 billion in total compensation.

• The arts added four times more to the U.S. economy than the agricultural sector and $200 billion more than transportation or warehousing.

• The arts saw a $20 billion trade surplus, leading with movies and TV programs and jewelry.

• The arts trended positively between 2012 and 2015 with an average growth rate of 2.6 percent, slightly higher than 2.4 percent for the nation’s overall economy. Between 2014 and 2015, the growth rate was 4.9 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars.

https://www.arts.gov/news/2018/arts-contribute-more-760-billion-us-economy

housing https://blog.americansforthearts.org/2017/06/09/8-ways-the-arts-can-boost-your-local-economy

housing 2  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/artists-cities-explore-affordable-housing

Education   https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2014/by_program/research__studies_and_publications/one_pagers/21.%20Arts%20Education%20Summary_2014.pdf

Eight ways art help communities  https://blog.americansforthearts.org/2017/06/09/8-ways-the-arts-can-boost-your-local-economy