NEA Chairman Pushes Economic Contribution of Arts

In his recent kick-off speech for his 6-month "Art-Works" tour around the United States, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman heavily emphasized the economic contribution of the arts industry to the areas in which they exist.  Says Landesman, "The 5.7 million people who have full-time arts-related jobs in this country are part of the real economy…Any discussion of policy for coming out of this recession, any plan that addresses economic growth and urban and neighborhood revitalization has to included the arts. We know, and we can prove, that when you bring art and artists into the center of town, that town changes."

Are there ways in which arts organizations can better use this information and their collective economic impact when lobbying for federal, state, or local funding?  Are they better off working independently, or together?

http://www.americanorchestras.org/industry_buzz/nea_landesman_s_fiery_speech.html

--Katie