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In Vancouver, Washington, murals celebrate the community’s rich arts heritage and bring vibrancy to a previously neglected area. © Alicia Gallo
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
When I joined Main Street America as a Program Officer in March of this year, I was excited to once again be a part of the Main Street Movement.
My Main Street career began in 2013 as Executive Director at Downtown Oregon City Association, a 2018 Great American Main Street Award winner. From 2019 until joining Main Street America, I was Executive Director at Creative Flagstaff, Flagstaff Arizona’s art, science, and culture agency. My family drew me to Arizona, but I brought Main Street with me, applying its principles of community-led transformation to the arts and culture sector in Flagstaff. Through that experience, I gained a deeper appreciation for the arts and the role that the arts play in our communities.
In my current role, I know that art and culture will continue to be an important part of my work. The arts and artists are important to all Main Streets — even if they may not be expressly identified as a transformation strategy or work plan goal.
As Main Street leaders, we talk a lot about placemaking and place keeping, cultural events, and public art. Over the past several years — especially with the onset of the pandemic — we’ve seen even greater investment in, and activation of, our public places. Why do we gather for arts and cultural experiences? Why do they matter and why might we lean into them in new ways?
Art Fosters Empathy, Dialogue, and Engagement
We often say Main Streets are the heart and soul of our communities. A thoughtful, well-maintained, and well-designed district is nothing without the people that bring it to life. We gather in downtowns and commercial corridors to enjoy good food, partake in outings with family or friends, or to be present in our neighborhood public and third spaces.
We also gather to experience art together — live music at festivals, murals on buildings, paint night at a wine bar, Shakespeare in the park, or shopping at an eclectic art gallery. Whatever the art experiences, we are immersed in the creative expression of others (and sometimes ourselves) and taken on a shared emotional journey.
These collective experiences are not dissimilar from the community engagement and community buy-in efforts that are critical to our Main Street work. Research backs up the this link to the Main Street Approach: according to the Americans for the Arts’ Arts Impact Explorer Tool, we know that participatory arts increase the desire for engagement and brings people together. Including the arts in our planning processes leads to more vibrant communities.
In Oregon City, Artist Tiffany Carbonneau’s installation, called Illuminate Oregon City, was created using public sessions to inform her projection mapping. This project inspired investment in Oregon City’s beloved Municipal Elevator and was on display for a year. © Tiffany Carbonneau
Art is Economic Development
Recently, my community in Flagstaff conducted a broad intercept survey as part of a larger research project by Americans for the Arts called Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6). We learned that the nonprofit arts and culture sector in Flagstaff generates $86 million in annual economic impact and over 1,000 jobs. One of these 40+ nonprofits is Dark Sky Aerial, an aerial theatre company. In 2018, they embarked on an inspiring collaboration to create a place-based production, TILT, that included an immersive multi-room play inside a historic hotel.
Nationally arts and cultural economic activity comprise 4.4 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (by comparison, agriculture is 5.6 percent). In 2019, the National Governor’s Association produced a report that outlines the role of arts in rural economic development. It summarized many key points including:
- Rural counties that are home to performing arts organizations experienced population growth three times higher than rural counties that lack performing arts institutions. Those counties also had incomes up to $6,000 higher.
- Two out of three rural businesses report that arts and entertainment are important for attracting and retaining workers.
While becoming an “arts district” may not be a Main Street organization’s ultimate objective, data demonstrates that the inclusion of the arts in economic development strategies is essential.
Art Involves All Points of the Main Street Approach
When we think about the arts and the four points of the Main Street Approach, we often immediately think of Promotion or Design. It is no surprise, then, that Main Street programs commonly engage in events that include temporal cultural experiences or beautification with art. The arts, however, are essential for Organization and Economic Vitality as well. To strengthen the role of the arts in your efforts, consider bringing the following questions to your board, committee, staff, and strategic planning meetings:
- Are artists actively engaged in your committees? Do you use participatory art to help collect community input? Are there grant opportunities to support the arts? What partnerships should you pursue?
- Is thoughtful, locally-driven, public art a part of your design projects? Are local artists helping to determine the kinds of art that are pursued? How does art support your cultural preservation work?
- Are you paying artists fairly, especially if you pay other professionals? (To help answer this question, check out Wage for Work, a powerful tool to help you determine appropriate rates for your contractors.)
The arts are essential to our community work. I look forward to exploring the role of arts in Main Streets as I hit the road working with communities across the country. If you have an innovative or exciting arts program that you would like to share with us, please reach out!
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From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Community Spotlight: Ames, Iowa
Downtown Ames hosted a festival for the 46th annual RAGBRAI race (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).
7 Ways To Bring Your Main Street On Screen
You don’t need to be a big-name district to make a video that goes viral; you just need to know what you’re doing.
Comcast Newsmakers: Revitalizing Downtown
Matt Wagner, National Main Street Center's Vice President of Revitalization Programs, discusses competitive advantages, incrementalism and the power of the Main Street America network
Community Spotlight: Main Street Homer, Louisiana
Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
Evolution, Acceptance, and Change: The Main Street Approach as a Catalyst for Revitalization
Nearly slated for demolition 30 years ago, downtown Cedar Falls has experienced an amazing transformation through its revitalization journey using the Main Street Approach.
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville
Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
