The business of art: does Alaska art boost the economy? You betcha.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi

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Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.

--Andy Warhol

The words "economic engine" never seems to be the term economists and elected officials use when they're discussing the contribution of the arts to Alaska's economy. Quality of life is more like it: on the simplest level they recognize that a healthy arts scene contributes to a more livable community. Cultural heritage, certainly: they see the value of cultural arts honoring Alaska's heritage. Arts education, without a doubt: students who study the arts score higher on both verbal and math SAT scores.

But when was the last time economic development specialists conducted a systematic analysis of the arts sector, examining consumption of the live performing arts and the fine arts and the functioning of these markets to discuss perspectives on the future of this business sector and how it might play a bigger role in the state's future?

"For hundreds of years the artist has been portrayed as being emotional and passionate and irrational and we have our heads in the clouds and don't have our feet on the ground," says Julie Decker, Ph.D., artist, author, teacher, former gallery owner and well-known contributor to statewide arts organizations and events of this stereotype. She believes that more and more, the numbers are showing that statewide the arts are, in fact, an incredible economic engine.

"You can see it happening all across the state. People go out to galleries then out for drinks and dinner, they buy tickets to plays and the theater and music and events, art creates a base for tourism--there is a whole world that surrounds the arts, it's not just about going to events or an artist painting the landscape," Decker says.

According to "Economics of Alaska's Arts Industry," a 2002 research-based study conducted by the McDowell Group for the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA), Alaskan artists have a measurable role in the economy in part due to the fact that half of all Alaska households consider the arts in Alaska important to the economy and are willing to talk with their wallets: 75 percent of Alaska report purchasing visual art created in Alaska and 65 percent purchased tickets to live performances in the state. Although the numbers have not been updated, Charlotte Fox, ASCA executive director, says the findings are still very relevant.

ART MATTERS

According to the study, the arts have a very broad role in the Alaska economy, and include...