David Boje's remarks for Sharon Shultz Sept 8 2008

Sharon writes

“So sorry to cancel speaking at your Arts Convention opening, but I’m sure you understand. The main points I wanted to make were:"

1.   Tourism is a $5.2 billion industry in New Mexico

2.    Tourism is the second largest private sector industry in NM and is the largest private sector employer in NM

3.    The arts are an important component of that figure and a great attraction for tourists to NM

4.     The Tourism Association of New Mexico is a membership organization (like a Chamber of Commerce) that works on behalf of the tourism industry in NM with legislative action and educational programs. More details on what we do and the benefits of membership are on our website, www.tanm.org

“I appreciate being invited to participate in your conference and hope it is successful.” – Sharon Shultz

 The following are addition economic remarks provided by David Boje

 Las Cruces and Mesilla Valley ARTS SCENE can command more revenues when it gets it tells its story to the public. Look at this amazing potential. 

"Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences --- According to the report "Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences

 Revenue impacts• New Mexico Culture is already a $4.9 Billion Dollar Industry of the 5.2 billion tourism industry that Sharon Shultz mentioned. We can say that up North they only are getting $1.2 Billion Dollars of it. That means quite a bit is available to the Southern part of this state. Of this, about half or $2.5 Billion Dollar Arts & Culture Industry

• This  means $183 Million in Tax Revenues for this State --- Source: 2004 State of New Mexico reports (p. 3 & 5 of the 2004 report, now offline with release of 2006 report).50

Professor Chris Erickson writes in 2007 issue of New Mexico Business Outlook:

“Local officials should also focus on improving amenities. Las Cruces

needs more parks, more theaters, and more arts in general. The local arts scene is fine for a town our size, but there is also considerable room for improvement especially as we grow”. - Feb 2007. 

 New Mexico has several major arts scenes, with 3 cities in the top 25 arts destinations in America according to American Style Magazine: Albuquerque is #7 in top 25 big cities; Santa Fe is #1 and Taos #5 in the Smallest 25 cities category. When Las Cruces & Mesilla Valley Arts & Culture Scene" is recognized by the State of New Mexico - Department of Cultural Affairs for the outstanding Arts Destination it has become, then Las Cruces & Mesilla Valley Arts & Culture Scene" has a good chance of making the list. All we have to do is show the world that we have more galleries, artist, and arts service organizations than Portsmouth (#25 on the Small Cities - under 100,000 in population. Portsmouth has 6 galleries - Las Cruces has 44 galleries and museums

In 2007, Silver City and Las Vegas were designated New Mexico’s first Arts and Culture Districts as part of Governor Bill Richardson’s Arts and Culture Districts Initiative (see press release Jan 24 2007)

 

Las Cruces' nickname is 'Cultural Crossroads.' Las Cruces (86,268 population as of 2006) is the second largest city in New Mexico and the historic crossroads for Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and Anglo frontiersmen. According to the Vision 2040 predictions, population of the City of Las Cruces (& Doña Ana County) will expand by 40% by 2040.

 

Florida (2006 p.1) suggests that Creative Cities are "cauldrons of creativity."

Hartey (2005" 2) suggests that Creative Industries of a city attract artists, professors, scientists, and musicians. Creative Cities writes Jinna Tay (p. 220, in Hartey) says they "are spaces you want to be in, places to be seen." There are three historic preservation areas that can be drawn into a clarity of artistic purpose: Las Cruces Downtown (including Rio Grande theater & Amador Hotel), Mesilla Plaza, and Mesquite Historic District Neighborhood. These three areas are the heart of a creative economy

 

The Creative Class expects an active arts and music scene, including 'edgy arts events' and a vibrant street life as reasons to move to a city (Florida, 2004: p. 224, 231-2).

 

Talking Stick Institute is putting on the ARTS CONVENTION because our intent is to incubate ideas that support arts and culture-based economic development for Las Cruces businesses, individuals, organizations, agencies and institutions to work collaboratively and to formally structure that collaboration creating an economic market niche (This is consistent with House Bill 440).

 

References & Footnotes

• Beckett, Patrick H. 1993. Las Cruces, New Mexico 1881: As Seen By Her Newspapers. COAS Publishing and Research.

• Boje, D. M. 2007 -- Copy of Entire FINALReport pdf May 7 2008 - version online that incorporates City Council, Dean of Business College, & several arts organization leader's feedback; WORD version of 79 page FINAL REPORT on Arts & Culture Alliance proposal (takes longer time to download)

Caves, Richard E. 2002. Creative Industries: Contracts between Art and Commerce. Harvard University Press.

• Fisher, J. T. 2003. Las Cruces.

• Florida, Richard. 2008. Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life. NY: Basic Books.

• Florida, Richard. 2006. Cities and the Creative Class. NY: Routledge.

• Florida, Richard. 2004. The Rise of the Creative Class. NY: Basic Books.

• Harris, Linda G. 1993. Las Cruces, An Illustrated History. Las Cruces, NM: Arroyo Press.

• Hartley, John. (ed). 2005. Creative Industries. UK/Australia: Blackwell Publishers.

• Howkins, John. 2002. The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas. Penguin Global.

• Hunner, Jon; Kord, Brian; Lachica, Cassandra; & Spence, Renee. 2003. Las Cruces (NM). Portsmouth, NH: Acadia Publishing.

• Landry, Charles. 2000. The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators. Earthscan Publications Ltd.

• MacNeish, Richard S. 1983. Preliminary Investigations of the Archaic in the Region of Las Cruces.

• Owen, Gordon. 2000. Las Cruces New Mexico, Multicultural Crossroads. Yucca Tree Press.

• Taylor, Mary Daniels (with contributions by Nora Barrick) 2004.. A Place as Wild as the West Ever Was, Mesilla, New Mexico: 1848-1872. Las Cruces, NM: New Mexico State University.

• Thorsby, David. 2001. Economics and Culture. UK: University of Cambridge.

1. New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. On Fertile Ground, 2006 Report to the Community. New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. p. 3.

2 Vision 2040 Cultural Inventories report (draft). http://vision2040.nmsu.edu/documents/draft_inventories/7_History_Culture_5-5-08.pdf

3. National Register of Historic Places http://www.nps.gov/nr/ See listing of 15 Historic Places in Las Cruces.

4. Vision 2040 Population Report. http://vision2040.nmsu.edu/documents/draft_inventories/1_Population_5-5-08.pdf

5. City of Las Cruces Comprehensive Plan for Economic Development. 1999. http://www.las-cruces.org/cd/planning-comp_plan/comp_plan-default.shtm

6. 2004 Town of Mesilla Comprehesnive Plan http://www.mesilla-nm.org/Complete%20Plan.pdf

Listing provided courtesy of Talking Stick Institute

http://talkingstick.info/

contact: dboje@peaceaware.com to update information on this listing