Art Economics in Montana

Ceramics, theater, writing, painting, music, sculpture… fulfilling pursuits to be sure, and for some lucky Montanans, their passions are also their jobs. But just what are those jobs worth? What are the arts worth to the economy of Montana? It’s a tough number to pin down, but later this year, state officials hope to have a rough idea.

By JOHN HARRINGTON – IR Business Editor

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2004/08/13/top/a01081304_01.txt

Sometime in the next couple of weeks, an estimated 2,700 artists around the state will receive in the mail a survey from the Montana Arts Council and the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, asking about the financial impact of the arts in the state.

The GOEO has identified the arts, or more specifically, "creative enterprise," as a top priority for economic growth. The study, to be compiled by the Center for Applied Economic Research at Montana State University-Billings, will aim to define the role the arts play in the state’s economy.

"A lot of people don’t realize that being an artist is a business," said Arni Fishbaugh, director of the Montana Arts Council. "It’s an important part of the Montana economy because of the number of artists living here."

She pointed to figures from the last census that showed that one of every 78 people in Montana’s labor market is a working artist.

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Dave Gibson, director of the GOEO, said the arts community has responded well to the notion of developing a creative enterprise "cluster," wherein several independent artists or businesses would work together at marketing and promoting the industry both within and especially outside Montana.

"I’m looking at this strictly economically," Gibson said. "I’m no expert on the arts, but I see tremendous growth potential here."

Geoff Sutton of Missoula has been brought on to direct the creative enterprise cluster development program.

"Not only are the arts an economic benefit, they are an amenity we can use to draw other businesses to Montana," Sutton said.

Sutton said one aim of the cluster is to develop strategies for bringing more out-of-state money into Montana. Fomerly the owner of Sutton West Gallery in Missoula, Sutton saw first-hand the importance of widening his customer base beyond the Treasure State.

"One of the things I learned from being in private business was that I really started making good money when I reached 50 percent of my sales going outside the state," he said.

Sutton eventually envisions the development of a high-end art and craft market here, involving Montana artists and possibly those from other states. One of the first steps is determining what the baseline economic impact of the arts is, so subsequent efforts will have something to be measured against.

Gibson noted several areas in which the arts are a strength Montana can play to in developing its economy:

– The arts improve the quality of life of a community. "It’s absolutely true that an arts component is a vital part of attracting talented people into a community," he said.

– The arts can affect tourism, drawing art-lovers to Montana to buy art — and to spend money at other businesses while they’re here.

– The arts reach every corner of the state. "Some of our most rural towns that are really struggling have some creative people living in them," Gibson said. "It’s the one cluster I’m working on that I don’t think is geographically constrained."

– The arts are a value-added proposition, offering quality products that, unlike basic manufactured goods, can’t be made overseas for less.

Fishbaugh noted that some artists may be offended at the notion of looking at their trade as a business.

"The arts council believes the arts are valuable for their intrinsic value," she said. "We don’t believe the only thing that’s important is economics, but the economics are important, and in terms of people staying and making a living in Montana, we’re looking to make that case."

She expects the results of the survey to be released at the end of the year.

John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or [email protected].