Bonnie Stephens: Arts matter.

• Author: Scholl, Barry
• Position: People - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Many Utahns are aware of the fact that in 1899, Utah was the first state in the nation to create a state-sponsored arts council. It's also common knowledge that the arts and humanities greatly contribute to the State's quality of life.

Less well known, however, is the fact that cultural activities measurably contribute to a region's economic health. Bonnie Stephens, director of the Utah Arts Council (UAC), would like to inform her fellow Utahns of that fact. "It's important that people understand she role the arts play in our communities," she says.

A newly released study would seem to support her claim. In 1999, seven of the state's major cultural agencies, including the Utah Arts Council, Utah Humanities Council and Utah State Historical Society, grouped together to commission an Economic Impact Study of the state's cultural institutions and events. After surveying 200 organizations about their financial impact on local communities, the survey revealed that, in 1999 alone, the cultural sector provided nearly 21,000 full-and part-time jobs with a payroll exceeding $40 million, not to mention $63 million in supplies and facilities and $11 million in taxes.

"Utah has been culturally adolescent." Stephens says. But it's maturing and becoming a vibrant adolescent. The study clearly says that arts are an enormous part of our economic infrastructure."

Part of the area's maturation process, she believes, involves engaging a broad spectrum of support, going beyond the artists in the studios to reach the politicians who allocate funding. "It occurred to me from working with legislators that they were more apt so be influenced by the bottom line than by the more important work we do in the communities," she says.

Though the...