The Art of Economic Growth

There is a new painting in town – on a wall.

This mural – Norristown’s first – is designed to be a sign of a gateway to the municipality. But we hope it will be a gateway to economic growth in town through the arts as well.

Creativity and Capital Go Together

According to a study by the National Governors’ Association, the non-profit arts industry is a $36.8 billion business that supports 1.3 million jobs. That economic impact for civic good is magnified when you consider the benefits to governments: an estimated $790 million in revenue at the local level, $1.2 billion at the state level, and $3.4 billion at the federal level. Beyond the dollars and cents, the study also points out three important areas the arts impact.

The arts:

• Leverage human capital and cultural resources;
• Restore and revitalize communities
• Create vibrant public spaces
• Contribute to a region’s ability to innovate and attract those who are innovators

This impact has been demonstrated locally as well. The Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia estimated that in 2006 arts in Philadelphia supported almost 6,000 jobs. And an estimated 1.9 million people supported the area, spending about $46 per person for meals, gifts, parking and more in a recent study.

 

Norristown Has Arts Impact Too! 

In Norristown, we have started to see the kind of impact the studies have demonstrated in Philadelphia and across the nation. In 2011, Theatre Horizon, which has shared space with another theater in the Montgomery County Cultural Center, launched plans to build a new theater in downtown Norristown. Located in the former Bell Telelphone Building at 401 Dekalb Street, the project generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in public and private investment, and the new 120-theater, will be our second venue downtown for the arts, launching in October. Theatre Horizon estimates they bring 1,000 to 1,200 visitors into Norristown for performances, and those people also spend money on other things, such as gifts, meals and parking. I have written before about what a night on the town in Norristown can look like because of the arts.

 

Art Reproduces Positive Results

 

Investment in the Arts enables more creativity and innovation, which in turn sparks more investment. Right after Theatre Horizon launched its bid to expand, the Cultural Center, also home to the Centre Theater, won funding to put a new set of lighted signs on its front façade.

And State Senator Daylin Leach won a state grant to produce the mural.

The County has also received funding from the William Penn Foundation to launch Creative Montco, which will help Norristown too.

The mural, which brought the town together for community planning and even painting, will only spark more creativity and more investment.

You can participate too.

Attend a show.

Support the Arts Festival.

Join the Arts Council!

Paint the town green, by spending leisure time and dollars in our Arts community!