The Greater Columbus Arts Council strengthens the regional economy through the arts

 
The Greater Columbus Arts Council supports the arts and is a catalyst for advancing the culture of the region.
But it isn’t just the primary funder for artists and arts organizations, it provides programs, events and services that benefit artists and the general public like the nationally renowned Columbus Arts Festival.
It also collaborates with others. For example, the organization has a partnership with the Columbus Bar Association to provide pro bono legal aid to artists and small arts organizations.
And Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, believes the best is yet to come.
“We have only begun to maximize our potential as an arts community. When you look at the city as a whole — and the resources and brainpower within the community — we have a great opportunity to build an increasingly vibrant and more sustainable arts and culture infrastructure,” Katzenmeyer says.
He’s extremely optimistic that the arts community will soon follow the examples of education and infant mortality.
“I hear business leaders say all the time that they know of no other city where every segment of the community is willing to work on some of our greatest challenges,” he says. “As people learn more about the benefits of the arts — and the stakes of not supporting them adequately — we are seeing collaboration in this area, too.”
Smart Business spoke with Katzenmeyer about the Columbus arts community and how it fits into economic development.
SB: How can the arts be used as an economic driver?
TK: We know intuitively that businesses want to invest in vibrant communities. The same goes for attracting a talented workforce. People want to live in places with lots of recreational, entertainment and cultural benefits.
And arts and cultural events dovetail with tourism and conventions, which bring significant revenues into Columbus — both from inside the city and outside the region.
The arts’ actual economic impact on Central Ohio has been documented. A study found that nonprofit arts and culture generated upward of $226 million in total economic activity in 2010 alone. Of that, about $131 million was due to nonprofit arts and culture organizations, and an additional $96 million came from event-related spending.
Most people are surprised to learn that arts and culture are responsible for more than 8,500 jobs in Columbus, which helps generate $25.6 million in local and state government revenue.
So, strengthening the arts through enhanced support actually is strengthening the regional economy.
SB: How does the Greater Columbus Arts Council aid in this?
TK: We help individual artists and arts and culture organizations succeed. Last year we approved nearly $3 million in grants to 28 Columbus arts organizations, including new funding to three organizations that are now spurring revitalization in their neighborhood (Glass Axis, Short North Stage and Wild Goose Creative).
We work collaboratively with a range of partners to provide the kinds of offerings patrons want, leading to significant increases in attendance, revenue and efficiencies.
For example, during the past four years, Columbus arts organizations have recorded a nearly 20 percent increase in attendance and revenue overall. In 2013 alone, the aggregate attendance to events presented by 67 participating nonprofit arts and culture organizations was 4.3 million.
SB: Have you noticed changes in the Columbus arts community?
TK: We have become much better at working collaboratively.
Today, more organizations share back-office services and cross-promote each other’s events and programs. Large organizations are partnering with smaller organizations to co-present workshops and programming.
Most importantly, our arts programs continue to get stronger and, in some cases, become models for the nation. Partnerships like “Twisted,” featuring BalletMet Columbus with Opera Columbus and the Columbus Symphony and Chorus in 2014, gave patrons a unique experience.
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden’s annual Blooms and Butterflies is now a model for similar programs nationwide.
ProMusica won eight awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for ‘adventuresome programming.’
And artists and artistic directors are coming to Columbus from places like New York City and Europe. They see something that makes them want to work here, live here and explore artistic expression here.
SB: Our readers come from a corporation perspective, why should this matter to them?
TK: A strong arts and culture ecosystem is good for business for the same reasons it is good for the city’s economy. Businesses can attract better talent when they can offer a high quality of life that includes the arts, cultural offerings, unique entertainment options and recreational choices, as well as a good job and salary.
And it helps those companies retain talent. As anyone in business knows, it costs a lot to recruit and train employees; it’s even more expensive to hire them and then lose them.
SB: Have you implemented any new programs recently?  
TK: When you look at 2014, we had quite a year.
We increased the funding and the number of participants in our largest grant program for the third year in a row, and the Columbus Arts Festival had record attendance on Friday and Saturday.
We received $100,000 in additional city support for a new community impact grant program benefiting six Columbus neighborhoods.
We launched a new community and street performer database to connect community partners with performers, compensate artists and bring creative energy to our public spaces, and we are doing more with public art.

We also completed the first phase of an arts and cultural sector branding and marketing campaign in partnership with the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium. We will be launching that program later this year.