A partnership between The NGA Center for Best Practices, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) introduced an extensive body of new economic research on the creative sector. Evidence is building that the creative sector is an especially potent asset in rural places. Research by the NEA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service finds that, since the Great Recession:
- Two out of three rural businesses reported that arts and entertainment were important to attracting and retaining workers.
- Rural counties that were home to performing arts organizations experienced population growth three times faster than other rural counties.
- Rural counties housing performing arts organizations provided residents with higher household incomes than other rural counties.
- Rural counties with design-driven businesses recovered more quickly from the recession, showing more growth in weekly earnings over a four-year period following the Great Recession.
Given those positive economic contributions, NGA is helping governors to capitalize on the creative industries and tap into proven strategies for bringing economic vibrancy back to rural communities.
Rural Prosperity Through the Arts & Creative Sector: A Rural Action Guide for Governors and States offers actions for governors and states in addition to around a hundred examples and process steps.
Key Actions Governors Can Take
- Provide leadership for the state’s creative sector to benefit rural communities.
- Capitalize on existing regional cultural assets.
- Build state infrastructure for cultural and creative partnerships with other policy areas.
- Develop local talent and human capital with creative skills.
- Create an environment friendly to investment and innovation.
Videos
Tapping The Power of Rural Arts
Rural arts in Action
United States of Arts
NEA Spotlight: Rural Communities
NEA Spotlight: Exploring Our Town
Creative placemaking projects strategically link communities and local governments with artists, designers, and arts organizations to improve quality of life, create a sense of place, and revitalize local economies. See the showcase of rural areas where the arts are making a difference in these profiles by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Resources
- Press Release: NGA Offers Strategies for Creative Sector to Revitalize Rural Communities
- Opinion: From Sea to Shining Sea, the Arts Hold Promise for Prosperity
- Medium: The Creative Sector: A Proven Economic Catalyst for Rural America
- Research from the National Endowment for the Arts
- NASAA: Rural Arts Prosperity
- Citizens Institute for Rural Design
- RUPRI Rural Cultural Wealth Lab
- 2019 Creative Economy State Profiles
