Star Tribune, November 21, 2002

Ask anyone who loves Minnesota what's so special about this place and you'll get an answer that in some way says "quality of life." The phrase will mean different things to different Minnesotans, but it's a safe bet that outdoor life and the arts -- or, perhaps more to the point, the wonderful combination of access to both here -- will be at the top of most lists.

That's why paying attention to the Minnesota Council on Foundations' new arts-funding report is important. Leaders in all spheres of Minnesota life should mine its findings on current trends and challenges -- and find ways to ensure that the arts continue to expand and flourish here. That effort must include addressing several funding gaps, ensuring a new generation of individual donors and bolstering corporate giving.

The stakes are high, extending well beyond the pleasure that Minnesotans take in the state's assets. A rich arts and cultural scene makes a very real difference in a region's ability to thrive in a competitive economy. Minnesota must not allow itself to slip.

Last summer, Richard Florida -- a provocative Carnegie-Mellon professor and author of "The Rise of the Creative Class" -- wrote a piece for these pages that assessed the Twin Cities' relative competitiveness in luring creative people and businesses. He stressed that "in every industry today, competition is based on creativity -- on the ability to create new products and processes, and to keep improving the old ones. And the people who do this vital work -- from bright young computer geeks to creative professionals of various ages in many fields -- are mobile and demanding. They won't move to a city just to take a job with a company." Florida said they tend "to cluster in what I call Creative Centers: places full of cultural stimulation and ferment. Places where all sorts of people (and ideas) are welcome."

Using his list of "the three T's of economic development" -- technology, talent and tolerance -- the Twin Cities stacks up pretty well. Florida placed it 10th of 49 cities -- with the San Francisco Bay area No. 1, followed by Austin. But what if you wanted to move up the list? Where the arts are concerned, the council's report would help.

One finding, for example, was the perception among both arts funders and nonprofits that small and new arts organizations have a harder time getting funded. Florida's advice is pertinent: "Nurture creativity of all types, and not just at high-art venues like the Guthrie. Creative people enjoy street-level culture: the teeming blend of cafes, shops, galleries and small music clubs where one can be a participant as well as observer. These kinds of arts and cultural venues, my research shows, are far more important to a region's ability to spur innovation and economic growth than are large spectator venues."

If the arts must be defined and supported broadly, they also must be supported by a variety of donors -- from foundations to corporations to individuals to government. One worrisome trend perceived by both funders and nonprofits: "a noticeable decline in corporate support and leadership for the arts," with corporate funding's percentage of arts and culture grant dollars falling from 54 percent to 47 percent.

Add to that an economic recession and record-setting capital and endowment goals, and you have a challenge worthy of considerable attention.

Copyright 2002 Star Tribune. Republished here with the permission of the Star Tribune. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the express approval of the Star Tribune.

Top