March 2022

the creative economy

 Currently, seven bills are under congressional consideration that would support the build-out of a robust US creative economy. Five of the bills address racial, geographic, economic, and cultural equity. All six directly impact the livelihoods of creative workers. And three of the bills expand and increase access to education in the arts, creativity, and innovation for all Americans. I was thinking about this recently as we were discussing our work to ensure that we are living our Artistic Values in our efforts to support the arts and culture in South Fulton County.

About 18 months ago we gathered a group of amazing artists and together we worked on crafting an artistic values statement that reflected how we wanted to work and who we wanted to work with. This courageous group of artists left nothing unturned as we talked about equality, equity, and diversity. It was a humbling and transformative experience. 

One of our values is to invest the appropriate time, money, care, and respect necessary to reflect and value the stories we choose to tell, as well as honor the people involved in telling them  This is so much more than just supporting an artist while they work on one project. It is about creating community support around the industry. And it is why I believe so passionately that we should invest in long-term partnerships and not parachute programming. Artists are entrepreneurs - they have to be to survive. We want artists to live and work in South Fulton County so that the region’s economy and the lives of its residents are improved by their efforts.

South Fulton County is uniquely poised to enjoy some of the benefits of this congressional legislation. One of the bills under consideration is specifically geared toward supporting creative businesses. How would this help South Fulton County? The southern stretch of Fulton County is where most of the state’s film activities are headquartered, with East Point positioned within a “film triangle” (Tyler Perry Studios to the north, EUE Screen Gems to the east, and Atlanta Metro Studios to the south), and Union City is vying to be the film capital of metro south. 

The City of South Fulton is also a potential winner with the legislation Congress is preparing to vote on. Just two years ago, the Southwest Arts Center and South Fulton Arts Center were officially transitioned to the city of South Fulton. This allows residents to experience and celebrate the area’s talent as well as make it possible for South Fulton to host performers and artists from other parts of the country and from around the world. 

Arts- and culture-based activities strengthen communities. They bring people together and impact livelihoods. Growing a creative economy adds to an area’s ability to draw and keep young talent and innovative companies, and public art is more than just decoration–it’s part of vibrant, healthy communities.
I’m paying attention to what’s happening in Congress because it could greatly improve the impact of the work we’re doing at South Fulton Institute and that matters to me. I hope you will too!