Lasting Effects: Assessing the Future of Economic Impact Analysis of the Arts
Organized by the Cultural Policy Center, The University of Chicago
May 12-14, 2004
Pocantico Conference Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Tarrytown, New York
In the rush to attract and retain tourists and residents, cities across the nation have been implementing large public arts and culture projects. In Chicago alone, the last few years have seen the development of such major public arts projects as Millennium Park, The Harris Theatre of Music and Dance, and the renovation of Solider Field. It is taken as an article of faith among many that these projects are worth their cost. But are they? How do these developments and other, similar projects across the country contribute to their host communities? Does a state of the art theatre center add vitality to a community’s economy? Does the development of cultural amenities attract the “creative class,” or does the presence of this class spark the development of cultural amenities? If it’s true that the arts and culture have a discernable impact on economies, what is the best method for obtaining a realistic measurement of this impact? Moreover, can the importance of arts and culture be reduced to economic considerations?
To address these questions and others, the Cultural Policy Center (CPC) at The University of Chicago convened Lasting Effects: Assessing the Future of Economic Impact Analysis of the Arts, a three day conference that examined benefits and pitfalls of using economic impact analysis (EIA) as a tool for arts advocacy.
Conferees included close to 30 prominent economists, advocates, and cultural practioners. Organizations represented at the conference included:
- The Illinois Arts Alliance
- The RAND Corporation
- The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
- Americans for the Arts
- Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
- National Conference of State Legislatures
Educational institutions represented at the conference included:
- The University of Chicago
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Macquarie University, Australia
- George Mason University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of Westminster, Great Britain
This website includes an edited transcript of the conference proceedings, along with a succinct introduction of the conference findings, as well as the papers presented at the conference, a list of pariticpants, and a brief glossary of economic terms. The CPC has also included an extensive bibliography of economic impact studies for those that wish to conduct further research on EIA.
The conference was held at the Pocantico Conference Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in Tarrytown, New York.