Katherine DeGood: Arts and culture economy

May 15—If you were asked to name one of the region's most unique resources that has played a critical role in attracting generations to make northwest Michigan their home, what would that be? What if I told you, it isn't the lakes, the dunes or the forests? However, the setting has inspired the creation of this resource in all its facets.

The answer would be the bounty of artists and arts organizations that enhance our quality of life and allow the region to compete with coastal cities and college towns to attract new residents. For those who have been fortunate to spend their entire lives here, the abundance of arts organizations and professionals may appear to be part of daily life.

While growing up in the region, it wasn't unusual to know individuals who made their living as artists or in the arts and culture economy. Gwen Frostic lived nearby and visited my elementary school. Many classmates' parents made their living as writers and artists. I watched my favorite teacher sing each summer in the Benzie Community Chorus and compose musical theatre productions. My family regularly attended performances at Interlochen Arts Academy before I had the great fortune to perform there as a student musician.

In addition to the nationally recognized beauty of the Sleeping Bear Dunes and the delicious crops of cherries and apples, the Grand Traverse region boasts a nationally recognized and vibrant arts and culture sector. If you own a business, hire talent or value the quality of life in the region, you have many reasons to take a concerted interest in northern Michigan's arts and culture economy.

According to a report on the economic recovery following the Great Recession from Indiana and Purdue universities, "The analysis of the post-Great Recession recovery shows that the arts economy is particularly resilient. It bounces back faster than the state economy as a whole, leading the economic recovery."

During this post-recession, pre-pandemic period of the 2010s, Traverse City was recognized twice by Southern Methodist University's DataArts as a top 10 most arts-vibrant medium-sized city. This recognition put us in the company of cities like Santa Fe, New Mexico and Boulder, Colorado.

In Michigan, after the immediate impact of the pandemic, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts found that in 2022, Michigan ranked 15th of all states in Arts and Culture Production (ACPSA) value added to the national gross domestic product. It also found that Michigan was fourth among all states in ACPSA value-added growth. Since 2021, the Arts and Culture Production value has grown 17.1% in Michigan, compared to an increase of 7.8% in the United States.

Arts and culture organizations contribute to our region's economic health as employers, buyers of goods and services, and drivers of economic activity across numerous sectors in locations around the region. Their very act of doing business — creating, presenting, exhibiting, engaging — has a positive economic impact and improves community well-being.

Americans for the Arts research found that arts attendees spend $31.47 per person per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking and lodging. Considering the depth and breadth of arts attractions in our region, this impact is felt from our small lakeside towns to downtown Traverse City.

The region's talent attraction initiative, Michigan's Creative Coast, highlights our region's arts and cultural amenities in equal proportion to the natural resources because of their importance to our regional quality of life. Prospective talent considers these quality-of-life amenities when determining whether to accept a job in a community. The Conference Board has also found this critical in rural settings: "Two out of three business leaders in rural communities say arts and culture is important to help attract talent."

Americans for the Arts also found that 86% of Americans say the arts are "important to their community's livability," and 79% believe that arts and culture are "important to their community's businesses, economy and local jobs."

The Grand Traverse region and Michigan, on a larger scale, face challenging population projections but could offer a key differentiator in driving population and economic growth: the arts and culture offerings unique to each region of the state.

For the Grand Traverse region, the health of our arts and culture economy is critical to our efforts to attract and retain talent and to the overall health of our economic ecosystem.

Just as we value and invest in the preservation of our natural resources, our region must recognize the value of our arts and cultural resources and preserve them for all generations.

Katherine DeGood is the director of marketing and communications for Traverse Connect.