Seven Compelling Reasons to Build Support for the Arts in Georgia
Georgia Council for the
Arts, Office of the Governor
Citizens Report 2003
“ The arts enhance our quality of life,
deepen our culture, and help strengthen our unity as fellow citizens.
Georgians are fortunate to live in a state that is abundant with
natural beauty, bountiful in talent, and rich with imagination
and creativity.”
--Governor Sonny Perdue
“ Cultural activities attract tourists and
spur the creation of ancillary facilities such as restaurants, hotels,
and the services needed to support them. Cultural facilities enhance
property values, tax resources, and overall profitability for communities.
In doing so, the arts become a direct contributor to urban and rural
revitalization.”
--National Governors Association
“The Role of the Arts in Economic Development,”2001
1. The arts make money for Georgia.
Arts organizations create jobs, spur local economies, and generate
tax revenues. The arts are one of Georgia’s biggest businesses,
providing thousands of jobs and adding millions of dollars to
state and local government coffers. Every dollar contributed
to non-profit arts organizations generates 13 additional dollars
of economic impact.
2. The arts give students an edge in school
Students who are regularly exposed to the arts are higher achievers than
those who rarely experience the arts. Whether participating in arts classes
or attending arts performances outside of school, students who have regular
interaction with the arts perform better in school and continue their
education longer than their counterparts with less arts exposure.
3. The arts attract tourists.
Georgia’s museums, orchestras and theaters – small
and large – have proved to be magnets for visitors from
outside as well as inside Georgia. Visitors from the Southeast
and beyond come to Georgia to experience its cultural offerings.
They’re drawn not only by the big exhibitions but also
to the small, community playhouses and museums that offer a unique
experience found nowhere else.
4. The arts bring communities together.
The arts serve as a tool for people to join forces in building
better, stronger communities. The arts revitalize communities,
give people shared cultural experiences, and unite people in
addressing local social issues. They promote tolerance, empathy
and understanding of people from all walks of life.
5. Georgia celebrates its culture through the arts.
The arts help us appreciate our individual heritage and rejoice
in our diversity. We display, preserve and pass on age-old art
forms to keep the history of Georgia alive. At the same time,
we honor the Georgia we have become today by incorporating the
arts of many cultures into our experience.
6. Industry wants the arts.
The arts enhance Georgia’s quality of life, helping Georgia
attract and retain businesses. When deciding to relocate to Georgia
or stay in a Georgia community, businesses want to know that
Georgia has an educated workforce and cultural activities to
satisfy them.
7. The arts provide a return on public investment.
With all the benefits the arts offer, investments in the arts
deliver a high return on every dollar. The arts strengthen Georgia
in many ways. One investment can reap many rewards. And investments
in the arts tend to multiply, yielding a far greater return than
the initial input. In the last 15 years, by wisely investing
in promising arts programs, Georgia Council for the Arts has
turned $55 million in state funds into more than $1 billion in
arts activity.
Seven reasons = One vision: Support the arts throughout Georgia.
Georgia has made great strides in its arts environment, thanks to
contributions from the state, counties, cities and many private sources.
However, if Georgia is to fully reap the dividends that the arts
offer, our public and private investment must increase.
“ The arts do more than enrich and enliven
Georgia’s cultural life – the arts fuel an economic engine
that drives jobs and local businesses in communities large and small.
The arts deliver a powerful return on investment, for a healthy economy
and a progressive society. We need to make that investment.”
--Arthur M. Blank
Chairman, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Chairman, President and CEO, Atlanta Falcons
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