January 5, 2011

New Creative Economy Resources

As a national source of information on public arts funding, NASAA provides a knowledge network and fact base to help state arts agencies make informed policy decisions and put their own state’s needs and experiences in context. Providing customized responses to member questions is a hallmark of NASAA. This column offers specific examples of the NASAA research services available and shows how they can be customized to meet your needs.

NASAA’s Creative Economic Development Resource Center serves as a clearinghouse for information about the creative economy, a key issue area for state arts agencies. The resource center includes state-level research, examples of state initiatives and other resources to help members make informed policy decisions.

The Resource Center is updated regularly with key facts and figures about the creative economy, examples of state initiatives and links to state and regional research on the economic benefits of the arts. Recently published economic impact reports include:

• Alaska: Creative Vitality 2009
• District of Columbia: Creative Capital, The Creative DC Action Agenda
• Illinois: Arts Impact
• Iowa: Analysis of the Economic and Place Impacts of the Iowa Great Places Program
• Maine: Maine Museums: An Economic Impact Study
• Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund
• New Mexico: Cultural Entrepreneurship: At the Crossroads of People, Place, and Prosperity
• Oregon: Creative Vitality in Oregon
• Virginia: The Arts = Business for Virginia
• Wyoming: Creative Vitality Index
• National Endowment for the Arts: Creative Placemaking
• Western States Arts Federation: Creative Vitality Index

To share more information and resources about the arts and economic development with NASAA, please contact Kelly Barsdate.