Special Section: Blaine House Conference Wrap-Up

A National Perspective on the Creative Economy


	Felicia Knight speaking at the Blaine House Conference on Maine's Creative Economy.

Felicia Knight, director of communications for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Presented at the Blaine House Conference on Maine's Creative Economy

I think the NEA perspective is the same as the state or local perspective. And that is that without the arts in our schools and in our communities, our lives are not as fulfilled as they could be - or even as they should be.

When people look for a place to live and work, they look for a community that has much to offer. Obviously, certain things are going to be foremost on people's minds. Can I earn a living here? Can I educate my children here? Can I afford a home here? Hand in hand with those questions is, what is available here beyond work and school that will make my life more satisfying?

At the NEA, we try very hard to invest in the arts in as many communities as possible. I use the term "invest" deliberately because for every dollar that NEA invests in an arts organization, between 7 and 8 more are generated. All of our grants require at least a 1-to-1 match, but beyond the matching funds come other dollars in the form of donations, ticket sales, money spent in ancillary activities ranging from parking, to dining, to shopping.

While the economic argument is a strong one to make for the arts - we at NEA believe that should not be the primary argument. Communities should embrace the arts for the sake of the art, for what it can do to enhance and enrich our lives. Trying to quantify the value of art is nearly impossible.

Very often people who have no affinity for or experience with the arts are approached by advocates with an argument along the line of, "If you give a child cello lessons, you'll improve his math scores by 30 percent." Well, that may be true. But what if it isn't? What if by giving a child cello lessons... you teach a child to play the cello? What if by learning to play the cello, that child finds discipline and self-assurance, becomes a more well-rounded, better-informed, more fully formed human being?

A point that our chairman, Dana Gioia, has made repeatedly is that communities should embrace the arts in their schools and in their towns because their children and their citizens deserve opportunities to find more than one path to excellence. The math scores may not go up. (Mine didn't!) But the child is greatly rewarded. The cash register may not ring, but the community is greatly enhanced. In making the argument for art merely economic, it is reduced to a commodity to be championed by economists.

When people from across a community feel welcomed and involved in the arts, they feel a sense of ownership in the arts that are presented to them.

A couple of weeks ago, we were pleased to announce at NEA the second phase of our Shakespeare in American Communities program: Shakespeare for a New Generation. I am proud to say, Maine's Theatre At Monmouth was chosen as one of 22 theatre companies from around the country that will tour at least ten communities in their regions with a Shakespeare play and a strong educational component for students.

Our program will allow one of the best artistic organizations in the state to perform for students who otherwise may never have the opportunity to see a live, professional production of the world's greatest playwright. The exchanges that will happen between those artists and their audiences will be compelling.

At the same time, artistic and cultural opportunities that take advantage of resources that are native to a community are often the best foundations on which to build creative economies. Later this month, the Downeast Heritage Center will open in Calais. It is the perfect example of economic and cultural development that builds upon the resources and history that are unique to one region.

Likewise, the Maine Acadian Heritage Council is developing - with the help of grants of $30,000 and $15,000 from NEA - an Acadian cultural heritage trail with an accompanying audio recording that will encompass the beautiful St. John Valley.

No one knows better than people in the arts that there is no guarantee of "if you build it they will come." But if you offer something that people realize they don't want to live without, you will build a cultural economy where the currency is love and respect for the arts and all they contribute to our humanity.

A final note: you should not take for granted the support that a conference such as this has enjoyed from the Governor and the Congressional Delegation.

Maine is where I grew up. (Maine is still my legal address!) Maine is where I learned a love of the arts. It is a fertile place for art, artists and audiences for all disciplines. I hope to return here full time in the not too distant future, to a place where art is available, welcomed, supported and valued - not because it is lucrative, but because it is necessary and beautiful.