Communities in Colorado are using a do-it-yourself process known as “Call Yourself Creative” to establish new neighborhoods that leverage the arts for community and economic development goals.

Many communities today are embracing the arts as an economic development strategy, as shown by data on the economic impact of arts and culture shared by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA).

According to the ACPSA, the arts and culture industry added $876.7 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2020. Also in 2020, arts and cultural commodities produced a $28 billion trade surplus. These are amazing numbers. And these are only the national data. If you’re curious about how arts and culture are impacting any state economically, you can view NASAA’s interactive dashboard.