Why the arts?

Now, more than ever, we should all shout from the rooftops about the importance of the arts in our lives. Artists throughout history have risen to the challenge of speaking as a collective voice in times of crisis – offering us hope and beauty to guide us forward.

  1. ARTISTS ROLE IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY

I think that we all have had some extra time on our hands – and this time is usually occupied by listening to music, reading, or doing some kind of visual arts. So, that’s one role for the arts in times of uncertainty. The other thing that the arts do to help is give us a common way to understand what is happening. They help us to solve problems in new ways – because they offer us a chance to have new experiences and insights that inspire us to action as we rebuild and reconfigure our communities and institutions. It can be argued that mobilizing the arts is a sure-fire way to bring about community change – which applies in many ways as we move forward in a world changed fundamentally by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll be back to talk more soon – and you can find more about ArtsConnect online at www.artstopeka.org.

2.   LOCAL ECONOMY

Hey everyone – it’s Sarah from ArtsConnect and we’re here with you tonight taking a moment to talk about how the arts impact our lives and our local economy. We commissioned a study in 2014, and learned that arts and cultural organizations in Topeka generate nearly a million dollars in revenue to the city of Topeka every year and an astounding $20.2 MILLION in economic activity annually. A considerable chunk of this activity stays local – with attendees spending an average of $21.52 in restaurants, hotels, retail shops and other local businesses.

 

3.      TOURISM

We’re back to talk about how the arts make Topeka awesome – and how the arts can be a force for recovery over the next months.  When ArtsConnect did a study about the impact of the arts on our local economy, we learned that visitors spend almost twice as much as residents when they attend arts and cultural events. That’s going to be a really important thing as travel restrictions lessen and live events become possible – we will need to remember the importance of these activities. It’s one of the reasons that artsconnect paints murals and puts a focus on the first Friday artwalk – the more attractive our city looks on the outside, the more likely we are to have lots of visitors coming to see what’s happening on stages, in galleries and restaurants. What’s fun for tourists is fun for residents – making it more likely that companies will be able to attract the best and the brightest employees….and the cycle begins again – with the end result being a better and stronger Topeka for us all to enjoy.


4. FOSTERING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Hey art lovers, it’s Sarah from ArtsConnect. We’ve talked about the benefits of the arts to our personal well-being, to the bottom line of our city and how we can use the arts to build a place that is attractive and exciting. Well….we’ve got one more important role to discuss – especially as we work to recover from the pandemic. Did you know that if you participate in cultural activity, you’re more likely to vote, volunteer and do other charitable work. You’re also more likely to graduate from high school and find a job that you find fulfilling. All of this represents another extremely important way that the arts multiply good in Topeka. Just imagine living in a place filled with art where everyone votes and volunteers – where people enjoy a higher quality of life because of the art surrounding every aspect of their lives. That’s our dream for Topeka. That’s why we do the work that we do – and will continue to do as we support our creative community going forward into the future.

5.   IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR KIDS
This is Sarah from ArtsConnect and I’m here to tell you about many of the ways that the arts make our lives better and our communities stronger. We know that fingerpainting is fun, but did you know that the arts also help our kids be better creative problem solvers who are more confident and empathetic? These are skills that significantly increase their success in college and their career. Did you know that if you hire an employee with a background in the arts, you’ll be getting an employee that’s not only a better leader and decisionmaker – but also significantly better at collaborating and communicating? It’s true. We wish we could stay longer and tell you more, but please find us on social media where you can follow along with the plans we are developing to help mobilize the arts as a way to recover and improve as we move forward into the future. Please check out our new website at artstopeka.org – and we hope that we’ll be coming to you live for the May First Friday Artwalk!