ARTS EQUAL BIG BUSINESS: The Economic Impact of the Arts in Missoula.

• Author: Bensen, Tom

Its no secret that Missoula has a vibrant arts and entertainment industry. Art shows, music concerts and movie festivals fill the city every weekend. In fact, some residents complain there are just too many events to attend.

From early spring through late fall Caras Park hosts a series of local art events, brew fests and fundraisers. Each month, First Friday Gallery Night packs the streets of downtown with visitors to the city's art galleries.

The MCT Center for the Performing Arts, Missoula Art Museum, Clay Studio of Missoula, the Downtown Dance Collective and Zootown Arts Community Center all have a full schedule of ongoing classes, exhibitions and events.

The Missoula Symphony regularly sells out performances at the 1,100 seat Dennison Theatre at the University of Montana and the Montana Museum of Art & Culture on campus has a permanent collection of 11,000 works--one of the largest in the Northwest.

Each month a different festival brings tourists to town the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival, the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre's VTBE competition, the International Wildlife Film Festival, River City Roots Festival and the Montana Book Festival, to name a few.

Mssoula is also an exporter of the arts. Known throughout the world for their "Little Red Trucks," the Missoula Children's Theatre tours communities large and small. The Montana Repertory Theatre performed in several cities in China this past spring, and the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre and Dolce Canto have also toured internationally.

Music fills the Garden City on a regular basis. In recent years, some of the biggest names in popular music have performed, including The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Elton John. Plus, this past summer saw the opening of not one, but two outdoor music amphitheaters--both had successful inaugural seasons.

At the ribbon cutting for the new 4,000 seat KettleHouse Amphitheater, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said that the venue brought together three great things about Missoula and western Montana: local breweries, the performing arts and a stunning landscape. He specifically mentioned the economic importance of each. At the same event Missoula Mayor John Engen said, "The arts community is incredibly significant to a place like Missoula."

Recently Missoula appeared in two independent national studies that quantify the arts industry and support what many have long suspected--the arts are a big business in Missoula.

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