Agenda - Council Work Session - 04/25/2023

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py T*all 111 rr . a vim_' r� ■ Karl Unnasch's sculpture"Ruminant (The Grand Masticator).' Installed in Reedsburg, WI as part of the Farm/Art DTour public art roadside tour, 2015. Photo credit: Aaron Dysart. REASONING: Enhancing the identity and character of communities through public art directly supports cultural tourism and economic development strategies, which can both retain and attract residents. In addition, incorporating public art into private development can be a way for buildings to stand out as developers and managers look for renterswhether businesses or residents. The attention public art can bring to a development project can be calculated. A healthy public art ecosystem also drives the growth of new businesses. EXAMPLES-, Reston Town Center in Reston, Virginia has a less than one-half of one percent (0.5 percent) office vacancy rate in a region where the average office vacancy is 16-18 percent. Real estate broker Joe Ritchey attributes the low vacancy rate in part to the permanent and temporary public arts located in the Center. (Public Art Spurs Economic Development). Indianapolis, Indiana has seen the growth of two new manufacturing businesses that have either branched out or sprung up anew to handle the demand for the fabrication of public art and employing people in the process. The Farm/Art DTour in Sauk County, Wisconsin generated tourism in the area with an esti- mated 4,200 visitors —over 65% of whom traveled over 50 miles to see the installations which helped to increase the revenue of many local businesses; some of whom saw reve- nue increases as much as 300%. In Nashville, projects over $150,000 are estimated to distribute two-thirds to three-quarters of the budget back into the local economy via fabricators, installers, art handlers, electri- cians, landscape architects, concrete companies, and other locally -based businesses. Public art projects have boosted cultural tourism, including an influx estimate of $1 bil- lion from ChristoIs and Jeanne-Claude's the "Gates" in New York's Central Park and the Bay Area Lights on the San Francisco -Oakland Bay Bridge —with an informal economic impact assessment conservatively estimated at $97 million dollars added to the local economy. DATA: 70 percent of Americans believe that the"arts improve the image and identity" of their community.* Half of people with college degrees (49 percent) and a majority of Millennials (52 percent) and Generation Xs (54 percent) say they would strongly consider whether a community is rich in the arts when deciding where to locate for a job.** Arts, culture, and creativit can improve a community's competitive edge, attract new and visiting populations, and integrate the visions of both 0 community and business leaders. *Americans Speak Out About the Arts, 2018 "Americans Speak Out About the Arts, 2016