Pittsburgh: City of Artists

09/23/2009

The host city for the second G-20 Summit of 2009: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The question heard around the world: Why Pittsburgh?

The answer: Because of art.

Of course, President Obama clearly pointed to economic transformation as the key reason, stating in a September 8, 2009 address that, “Pittsburgh stands as a bold example of how to create new jobs and industries while transitioning to a 21st century economy. As a city that has transformed itself from the city of steel to a center for high-tech innovation… Pittsburgh will provide both a beautiful backdrop and a powerful example for our work.” Official accolades for the city’s revitalization “[include ] green technology, education and training, and research and development.”

Pittsburgh’s arts sector is an equal part in that economic revitalization story. Local arts groups believe so strongly that the arts have influenced the region’s economy, they have formed a coalition called Pittsburgh is Art to tell the story. According to their website, pittsburghisart.org, four key messages tell how the arts have contributed to the region’s economy. They say that “arts transform Pittsburgh, arts employ Pittsburgh, arts green Pittsburgh, and arts inspire Pittsburgh.”

In addition to being the City of Champions and the City of Bridges, Pittsburgh is also a City of Artists. While many may already know of the multitude of fine cultural and arts institutions that call Pittsburgh home, do neighbors and outside observers truly understand the economic and societal, i.e. non-aesthetic, value of arts in a community? Do they see enough in the value of these institutions and programs to elevate the arts from the perception of an element of quality of life to a viable tool in economic transformation?

Deep within each innovation of green initiatives and technological advances, beyond the research breakthroughs in healthcare, and deeply engrained in the world of business, common threads emerge: creativity and vision, the stuff of which leaders—and artists—are made.

Artists serve as the backbone of a society. It’s because of policy artists that we enjoy the rule of law, and because of architectural and engineering artists that we have safe buildings in which to live, work and play. Entrepreneurs also fit into this category.

Artists, both figuratively and literally, are the ones who see the world for what it could be, rather than for what it is now. They see that abandoned neighborhood and envision the bustling life of a busy city street; each policy conundrum as an empty canvas, with the potential solution its own painting. Policymakers, entrepreneurs and engineers turn their visions into reality, thus choreographing each and every one of our dances through life. Michael Chabon, member of then-candidate Obama’s Arts Policy Committee and Pulitzer Prize winning author, touched upon this idea the Committee quoted him as stating, “Every grand American accomplishment…has been the fruit of the creative imagination…”

Oftentimes, it is literally artists who save neighborhoods and transform local economies. Perhaps the most famous of these stories in Pittsburgh is the development in Pittsburgh’s downtown Liberty Avenue area. In a July 2009 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article, Craig Smith recounts a Pittsburgh transformation story familiar to locals. In the 1980s, what is today known as the Cultural District in downtown Pittsburgh was riddled with adult-themed storefronts. Yet, with investment in a public-private partnership—the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust—led, in part, by Jack Heinz and his son, U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III, the area was infused with the arts. It eventually became a prized destination, home to a ballet, world class symphony, renovated theatres and a host of arts groups integral to the region’s cultural character.

In Smith’s Tribune-Review article, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato explains that, “The Cultural Trust is the single most important entity that saved Downtown Pittsburgh. It basically revitalized the arts and became the centerpiece for the next 25 years.” Without the infusion of the arts into the downtown area, leaders from across the globe would soon meet just a short walk from the aforementioned storefronts, rather than a district replete with celebrated cultural institutions.

Not just a phenomenon in downtown Pittsburgh, local arts groups have strengthened the economic and social fabric of the Bloomfield-Garfield area, creating an environment friendly to businesses and residents alike. The Penn Avenue Arts Initiative website notes that because of the arts-based partnership with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, the vacancy rate on Penn Avenue fell from “78% to 21.37% [and] attracted $56.5 million in investment” along this main street thoroughfare. According to Matthew Galluzzo, Arts District Manager at the Initiative, two keys to the area’s success were to encourage the investment of artists who resided in the neighborhood and utilize their skills for local artistic programming.

On the Northside, at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, children can gain valuable information regarding green initiatives simply by learning about the Museum’s building. Other institutions, including the Mattress Factory and the Andy Warhol Museum, make significant contribution to attracting business of an international variety to the city of Pittsburgh.

It’s no secret to Pittsburghers that Oakland is filled with cultural riches, boasting the Carnegie Museum, Music Hall and Library, as well as the Phipps Conservatory, chosen by President Obama to host the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit Welcome and Dinner. Local institutions of higher education such as the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh Playhouse of Point Park University offer a variety of arts and cultural experiences. Each organization is an asset to the community that draws patrons and fuels a spirit of innovation within itself.

From a strict economic perspective, it’s not difficult to understand why transformation and growth have occurred in Pittsburgh. According to a study conducted by the non-profit Americans for the Arts, seven dollars are returned for every one dollar nationally invested in the arts. In a 2005 regional economic prosperity study conducted with Americans for the Arts, the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council reports that in the greater-Pittsburgh area, the non-profit arts sector alone generates $341.56 million in economic activity, including $110.87 million in event-related spending, returning $33.8 million in government tax revenue, and supports 10,192 full -time jobs.

Nationwide, a 2008 report issued by the United States Conference of Mayors urged, “mayors across the country to invest in nonprofit arts organizations through their local arts agencies as a catalyst to generate economic impact, stimulate business development, spur urban renewal, attract tourists and area residents to community activities, and…improve the overall quality of life in America's cities.”

Though somewhat tempting to believe economics is all about money, the market relies on the whims of its actors and environment. The arts provide a business-friendly environment by securing the community. Americans for the Arts also reports that youth involvement in arts programming is shown to increase community involvement, decrease delinquency and drop-out rates as well as increase GPAs as well as SAT scores.

Using the arts as a tool for economic transformation means more jobs, more government income, more economic growth and a more secure environment for business operations. Pittsburgh has learned to capitalize on the arts for economic transformation. Only one question remains: will the world follow suit?

Ellie Pfeuffer,is a second-year student majoring in Human Security.