The Art of Economic Development in Texas
Across Texas, the creative sector employs close to 700,000 people—nearly the same number of people who live in Fort Worth. By and large, these jobs are lucrative.
In 2009, the average annual wage for people employed in the state’s creative sector was about $70,000, compared with $39,000 in other industries. Those figures paint a vivid picture of just how vital the creative sector is to the Texas economy.
In addition to providing jobs, Texas arts and cultural industries also generate $4.5 billion annually in taxable sales. Our report, Update: Impact of Arts & Culture Industries in Texas, provides detailed information on tax revenue attributable to the creative sector in Texas.
Certainly, the creative sector wields considerable social and economic clout in the state’s major urban areas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. But in other Texas communities small and large, the cultural arts—a key component of the creative sector—contribute significantly to local economies. The cultural arts bolster existing businesses and propel recruitment, retention and expansion of big and small businesses.
To gauge the difference that the cultural arts make in the Texas economy, the Texas Cultural Trust tapped economic analysis and public policy consulting firm Texas Perspectives Inc. and marketing firm Russell/Shaw to study five communities that have succeeded in leveraging the creative sector—and, more precisely, the cultural arts—to stimulate economic activity, create jobs and generate tax revenue.
The five communities are Amarillo, Clifton, El Paso, Rockport and Texarkana. All five communities have fostered economic growth through such mechanisms as performing arts centers, museums, festivals and educational programs.
Examples of how these communities have capitalized on the cultural arts include:
- In 2006, public and private interests banded together to open Amarillo’s Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. The $32 million center, which occupied a previously vacant downtown lot, has sparked rejuvenation of downtown Amarillo.
- With the Bosque Arts Center as the a key component, Clifton has injected economic vitality into its once-sleepy downtown, with art galleries and restaurants among the thriving businesses. In fact, some evenings it’s hard to find a downtown parking space. In 2009, local cultural arts tourism spending generated $2.4 million in economic activity.
- Rockport has cultivated an arts haven, including more than 15 art galleries and the annual Rockport Art Festival. Arts and cultural tourism in Rockport and the rest of Aransas County helped support more than $33 million in economic activity in 2009.
- With a city-authored master plan as a guide, new residential and commercial developments have popped up or are being planned around downtown El Paso’s arts and cultural jewels. The downtown area had sagged because of neglect and suburban growth.
- The Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council is a hub for much of the city’s arts activities. The nonprofit council operates the county-owned Regional Arts Center and the city-owned Perot Theatre. In 2009, the Perot Theatre produced nearly $2.5 million in economic activity.
These five communities highlight the array of cultural arts opportunities available to every Texas community. The successes achieved in Amarillo, Clifton, El Paso, Rockport and Texarkana also underscore the importance of the public and private sectors in building a cultural arts economy in any community in Texas.
Revitalizing the Arts Scene in an Effort to Rejuvenate the Town
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