Posted April 12, 2011

 by Greg Chaillé, President

According to a report by the nonprofit Americans for the Arts, the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year. This figure includes both spending by organizations and event-related spending by audiences. Given that non-local attendees spend twice as much as local attendees, it is just good sense to invest in arts and culture as a catalyst for growth and economic development.

OCF and its donors have long recognized the importance of arts to sustaining healthy communities, both economically and culturally. Last year alone, OCF provided more than $6 million to arts and culture organizations around the state.

In 2009, for example, The Oregon Community Foundation granted $50,000 to the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene (ABAE) to increase the visibility of the arts through online promotions and ticket purchases, creating one-stop shopping for arts and culture in the area. The grant acknowledged the important partnership of business, education and arts organizations and the potential for ABAE to become a model for other communities seeking sustainable models for the arts. That project, known as Eugene a Go-Go is now taking off.

When two critical components of a healthy community – arts and business – collaborate for a common good, we feel privileged to encourage and to be part of the endeavor.