THE ARTS BUSINESSMEAN in the St.Croix Valley

June 11, 2007The Phipps Center for the Arts

Hudson, Wis.

Welcome!

June 11, 2007The Phipps Center for the Arts

Hudson, Wis.

THE ARTS BUSINESSMEAN in the St.Croix Valley

THE ARTS BUSINESSMEAN in the St.Croix Valley

June 11, 2007The Phipps Center for the Arts

Hudson, Wis.

Welcome!

Celebrating 10 Years of Helping You Share

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEEditor’s note: Digital photo of Randy Cohen and a list of the St. Croix Valley participating organizations isavailable from the St. Croix Valley Community Foundation upon request.

The Arts Mean Business in the St. Croix Valley:Results of Economic Impact Survey of Arts, Cultural & Historical OrganizationsReleased June 11St. Croix Valley nonprofit arts, historical and cultural organizations participate for thefirst time in the national Arts and Economic Prosperity survey.

MAY 24, 2007—HUDSON, WIS.—Results from a groundbreaking survey detailing theeconomic impact of regional nonprofit arts, historical and cultural organizations will bepresented at “The Arts Mean Business in the St. Croix Valley” event set for Monday,June 11 at 11 a.m. at The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson.

Keynote speaker Randy Cohen, vice president of policy and research for theAmericans for the Arts (AFTA) in Washington, D.C., will announce the local resultsfrom AFTA’s national Arts and Economic Prosperity III (AEP III) survey.

In addition to Cohen, speakers and those in attendance will include Wisconsin Lt.Gov. Barbara Lawton, who is chairperson of the Wisconsin Arts Board; Minn. Rep. JulieBunn; George Tzougros, executive director of the Wisconsin Arts Board; and TomProehl, executive director of the Minnesota State Arts Board; Anne Katz, executivedirector of Arts Wisconsin; as well as legislators and tourism officials from both statesand others.

The “Arts Mean Business” presentation is free and open to the public, and will bepreceded by a roundtable continental breakfast workshop with Cohen for theorganizations that participated in the survey.

“Support for the arts ultimately has a comprehensive reach into our regionaleconomy,” says John Potter, executive director of The Phipps Center for the Arts inHudson. “As nonprofit businesses, arts and other cultural organizations--like the privatesector--provide jobs, generate tax revenue, purchase goods and services, and pay theirbills. They are also an important dimension of quality of life in a region, which is a majorfactor in economic development, business relocation and start-up, and workforcerecruiting and retention.”

Some 84 nonprofit arts, cultural and historical organizations in St. Croix, Pierceand Polk counties of Wisconsin and in the eastern portions of Chisago and Washingtoncounties in Minnesota participated in the local study from among 154 organizations thatwere invited to participate. The St. Croix Valley is one of the 156 communities andregions nationwide that participated in the AEP III study, representing all 50 states and

516 Second Street, Suite 214P O Box 39Hudson, WI 54016-0039715-386-9490 phone 715-386-1250 faxwww.scvcf.org info@scvcf.org

the District of Columbia. Participating communities are both rural and urban, and rangein population from 4,000 to 3,000,000 in size.

On May 22, AFTA released the national findings summarizing the results of allparticipants. “This study is a myth buster,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO ofAmericans for the Arts. “Most Americans understand that the arts improve our quality oflife. This study demonstrates that the arts are an industry that stimulates the economy incities and towns across the country. A vibrant arts and culture industry helps localbusinesses thrive.”

AEP III’s national findings show that the nonprofit arts industry generates $166.2billion in economic activity each year, resulting in $29.6 billion in federal, state, and localtax revenues. The most comprehensive national economic impact study of the nonprofitarts and culture industry ever conducted, the AEP III study includes data from more than6,000 nonprofit arts, historical and cultural organizations, and more than 90,000 attendeesat arts and cultural events in all 50 states.

The national results also show that nonprofits arts and cultural organizationssupport more jobs than accountants and auditors, public safety officers, and even lawyers,and just slightly fewer than elementary school teachers. Spending by nonprofit arts andculture organizations provide rewarding employment for more than just artists, curators,and musicians but they also directly support builders, plumbers, accountants, printers,and an array of occupations.

AFTA first surveyed the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry, a significantsector of what is called the “creative economy,” in a benchmark 1992 study. Since thesecond AEP study conducted in 2000, spending by organizations and their audiencesgrew 24 percent, from $134 billion to $166.2 billion in total economic activity—$63.1billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-relatedspending by their audiences. The total economic activity has a significant nationalimpact, generating the following: 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs; $104.2 billion inresident household income; $7.9 billion in local government tax revenues; $9.1 billion instate government tax revenues; and $12.6 billion in federal government tax revenues.

For the national AEP III findings visitwww.AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact.

##Participation in the St. Croix Valley study was co-sponsored by the St. Croix

Valley Community Foundation and The Phipps Center for the Arts. The Wisconsin ArtsBoard and the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation provided funding for the project. Thestudy’s steering committee included The Phipps Center for the Arts, St. Croix ValleyCommunity Foundation, ArtReach Alliance, the College of Arts and Sciences at theUniversity of Wisconsin-River Falls, Hugh J. Andersen Foundation, Northern LakesCenter for the Arts, St. Croix Economic Development Corp., Pierce County EconomicDevelopment Corp. and the St. Croix Valley Regional Tourism Alliance.

For more information about “The Arts Mean Business” event and St. CroixValley’s participation in the AEP III study, contact John Potter, executive director, ThePhipps Center for the Arts, 715.386.2305 or Jill Shannon, director of communitypartnerships, St. Croix Valley Community Foundation, 715.386.9490.

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THE ARTS BUSINESSMEAN in the St.Croix Valley

June 11, 2007The Phipps Center for the Arts

Hudson, Wis.

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Steering committee:ArtReach Alliance

Northern Lakes Center for the ArtsPierce County Economic Development Corp.

St. Croix Economic Development Corp.St. Croix Valley Community Foundation

St. Croix Valley Regional Tourism AllianceThe Phipps Center for the Arts

University of Wisconsin-River Falls

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Funding support:Hugh J. Andersen Foundation

Wisconsin Arts Board

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Participating organizations:Almelund Threshing Company, Art Along the Willow, Artreach Al-liance, Baldwin Public Library, Baldwin Woodville School District, Bayport Public Library, Big Woods/Big Plains, Clear Lake Public Library, Crystal Cave, Earth Arts, Ellsworth Polka Fest, Franconia Sculpture Park, Frederic Area Historical Society, Gammelgarden Museum, Glenwood City Public Library, Good Neighbor Days, Hammond Arts Alliance, Hammond Community Library, Ham-mond Lions Club, Hazel Mackin Public Library, Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, Hudson Area Joint

Library, Hudson Boosters, Indianhead Chorus, Lakeshore Players, Luck Area Historical Society, Masquers, Milltown Public Library,

Minnesota Transportation Museum, Music Madams, Music St. Croix, Nature of Amery, New Richmond Fine Arts Council, New Richmond Preservation Society, Northern Lakes Center for the

Arts, Northern Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Northern Lakes Photo Club, Northern Lakes Theater Guild, Northern Lakes Writers

Guild, Osceola Main Street Promotions Committee, The Phipps Center for the Arts, Pierce County Fair, Plum City Public Library, Polk County Historical Museum, Prescott Area Historical Society, Prescott Welcome & Heritage Center, River Falls Ballet Academy, River Falls Community Arts Base, River Falls Community Theater,

River Falls Library Foundation, Silkesnas, Spring Valley Stage Hands, Somerset Memorial Scholarship Fund, Somerset Public Li-brary, SOS Players, The Space – A Centre for Creativity, Summer Concerts in the Park, St. Croix ArtBarn, St. Croix Ballet Academy,

St. Croix Concert Series, St. Croix County Fair, St. Croix Falls Historical Society, St. Croix Festival Theatre, St. Croix Valley Boy

Choir, St. Croix Valley Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Soci-ety, St. Croix Valley Community Choir, St. Croix Valley Commu-

nity Band, St. Croix Valley Community Foundation, St. Croix Valley Historical Society, St Croix Valley Music Teachers Association, St. Croix Valley Summer Theatre, St. Croix Valley Symphony Orches-tra, Stillwater Area Chamber of Commerce, Theatre Associates Of Stillwater, Town & Country Art Club, UW-River Falls Brass Ensem-ble, UW-River Falls Concert Choir, UW-River Falls Music Depart-ment, UW-River Falls University Theatre, Vallee De Croix Chorus,

Valley Chamber Chorale, Washington County Historic Court-house, Washington County Historical Society, Washington County Library, Way Off Broadway Players Community Theater, Wheels & Wings, White Bear Center For The Arts, Wild River Boychoir,

Wildwood Artist Series, Willow River Players, Woodbury Chorus & Orchestra, Woodville Community Library.

“Understanding and acknowledging the incredible economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture, we must always remember their fundamental value. They foster beauty, creativity, originality and vitality. The arts inspire us, sooth us, provoke us, involve us and connect us. But they also create jobs and contribute to the economy.”

—Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO Americans for the Arts

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara LawtonChairperson, Wisconsin Arts Board

Barbara Lawton attended UW-Green Bay, com-pleted her undergraduate degree at Lawrence University, and earned an M.A. from UW-Madi-son. Barbara was a founding member of the Edu-cational Resource Foundation, the Greater Green Bay Area Community Foundation, Latinos Unidos and the Green Bay Area Multicultural Center, and has served the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Foundation Board. As an international business consultant while studying toward a

Ph.D., she provided cultural training and consulting to companies wanting to export products to South America. In January 2003, she was sworn in as Wisconsin’s first woman elected lieutenant governor, her first elected office. Re-elected in 2006, she provides strong leadership for a comprehensive approach to economic development. Barbara successfully works across partisan lines to build a shared agenda for growth in our state, and has received national and international recognition for her economic develop-ment initiative, Wisconsin Women = Prosperity.

Randy CohenVice President for Policy and ResearchAmericans for the Arts

Randy Cohen has directed research and arts policy initiatives since 1991 at the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for the Arts, a national organization advancing the arts. Randy pro-duced two benchmark economic studies of the U.S. arts industry: “Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts,” research on the nation’s arts businesses using Dun & Bradstreet data, and “Arts & Economic Prosperity,” the most comprehensive economic impact study of

nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences ever conducted. He established the Institute for Community Development and the Arts, edits the award-winning Monograph series, and publishes reports about local arts agencies, arts funds, arts education, and public- and private-sector support for the arts. Randy worked with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities to produce “Coming Up Taller,” a White House report documenting 225 arts programs for at-risk youth, and with the U.S. Department of Justice to produce the “YouthARTS Project,” the first national study to statistically document the impact of arts programs for at-risk youth. As a spokesman for AFTA on arts research and policy issues, Randy has given speeches in 47 states and is an expert source in arts news stories for international media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BBC and CNN. Prior to joining AFTA, Randy was a policy/planning specialist for the Na-tional Endowment for the Arts, founded the San Diego Theatre for Young Audiences, and worked in medical research for Stanford and Scripps Clinic.

Julie BunnMinnesota State Representative (DFL-District 56A)

Rep. Julie Bunn is serving her first term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Among the communities she represents are river towns from Stillwater to Lake St. Croix Beach. An applied economist with 20 years of government and aca-demic experience, Julie has an A.B. in econom-ics from Occidental College and M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University. She has worked for the U.S. Department of Labor and as a professor at Macalester College in St. Paul. In

the Minnesota House, she focuses primarily on health care reform and stimulating business growth. She is a member of the house committees on Biosciences and Emerging Technology; Education Finance and Economic Competitiveness Finance Division; Health and Human Services; Health Care and Human Services Finance Division; and the Licensing Subcommittee.

THE ARTS MEAN BUSINESS IN THE ST. CROIX VALLEY

June 11, 2007The Phipps Center for the Arts

Hudson, Wisconsin

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9 a.m. Registration for Roundtable Breakfast for Participating Arts/ Cultural/Historical Organzations The Phipps Lobby

9:30 a.m. Roundtable Breakfast Randy Cohen Where

10:30 am. Break The Phipps Lobby

11 a.m. Welcome/Introductions Mark Kinders Main Theater Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton

Randy Cohen, “Title of Speech”

11:55 a.m. Closing Remarks David Griffith, St. Croix Valley Community Foundation Rep. Julie Bunn

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Classical selections on the piano by Sue Christian, who is she, put a little bio here?

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A media reception with Randy Cohen and St. Croix Valley steer-ing committee members John Potter of The Phipps Center for the Arts and Jill Shannon of the St. Croix Valley Community Founda-tion will follow Cohen’s presentation in the Music Room.

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A luncheon and facilitated idea session for invited guests follows the public presentation in the XXX Room.

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Facilitator: Mark Kinders, Director of Public Affairs, UW-River Falls Mark Kinders is past president of the St. Croix Valley Regional Tourism Alliance, a nationally recognized marketing collabora-tive of 20 communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. His activi-ties in the tourism industry including the Governor’s Council on Tourism led to his recognition as a 2004 Wisconsin Idea Fellow by the UW System Board of Regents. Mark is chair of the Advisory Council for Communications and Public Affairs for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. He has a B.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, an M.A. in history from UW-River Falls, and an M.P.A. in public affairs through the Executive Program of the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1968 to 1972.

THE ARTS BUSINESSMEAN in the St.Croix Valley

Steering committee:ArtReach Alliance Northern Lakes Center for the Arts Pierce County Economic Development Corp. St. Croix Economic Development Corp.St. Croix Valley Community FoundationSt. Croix Valley Regional Tourism AllianceThe Phipps Center for the Arts University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Randy CohenVP Policy & Research, Americans for the ArtsWashington, D.C.

June 11, 2007 • 11 a.m.The Phipps Center for the Arts109 Locust St., Hudson, WI FREE

More than entertainment. More than quality of life.

The ARTS are BIG businessGet the facts on this groundbreaking study of the economic contribution of St. Croix Valley nonprofit arts, historical and cultural organizations to our local economy.

Save the date!

Funding support from: Hugh J. Andersen Foundation & Wisconsin Arts Board

BUSINESSin the St.Croix Valley

THE ARTS MEAN

Randy CohenVP Policy & Research Americans for the ArtsWashington, D.C.

June 11, 2007 • 11 a.m.The Phipps Center for the Arts109 Locust St. • Hudson, WI

Get the facts on this groundbreaking study of the economic contribution of St. Croix Valley nonprofit arts, historical and cultural organizations to our local economy.

Show your support and investment in the St. Croix Valley’s creative economy.

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