Mass. sees arts as vital to economy

By Robert Gavin/Globe Staff

The Patrick administration today launches an initiative to expand so-called creative industries in the state, appointing a first-in-the-nation "creative economy" director to help expand a diverse sector that ranges from individual artists to cultural institutions to video game makers.

The appointment of Jason S. Schupbach of Boston illustrates the growing role creative sectors play in economic policy as states compete for jobs, companies, and skilled workers. Beyond the direct employment provided by museums, art galleries, and design and other creative firms, the vitality of the local arts and cultural scene is increasingly viewed by development specialists as key to attracting knowledge workers expected to drive 21st century economies.

Schupbach, 32, who has worked for cultural and economic development agencies in Boston, New York, and Chicago, will serve in the state's Office of Business Development as one of several industry directors responsible for key Massachusetts sectors such as biotechnology, defense, and technology. Massachusetts is the first state to create such a post for creative industries, according to national economic development and arts groups.

"What's notable about this is it's statewide and at a high-priority level," said Anne L'Ecuyer, associate vice president of field services at Americans for the Arts, an advocacy and service group in Washington, D.C. "This is big news for our industry."

Schupbach, who last worked as director of ArtistLink in Boston, which helps create and preserve affordable space for Massachusetts artists, said he will do what other industry directors do: connect clients to resources to help them grow and prosper. In the case of the creative sector, for example, many organizations view themselves as artists, not businesses, and don't realize they're eligible for some of the same programs - from tax breaks to workforce-training programs - as other companies.

"A strong creative economy translates into a strong overall economy," Schupbach said. "These are innovators, the cutting edge."

The cost of this new effort, including Schupbach's salary of about $70,000 a year, won't require additional money. It will be covered within the business development office's existing budget, said Kofi Jones, spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

The creative economy is loosely defined as a variety of nonprofit groups and for-profit firms that center on visual and performing arts, including film, advertising, architecture, and tourism. A 2007 study by the New England Foundation estimated that arts- and culture-related businesses and nonprofits employ more than 100,000 people in Massachusetts.

Several other reports, including those by the nonprofit civic group Boston Foundation, have detailed the impact of creative industries on the state's economy: generating billions in direct and indirect economic activity. For example, said Boston Foundation president Paul Grogan, as theaters and museums attract patrons, they create traffic that attracts other businesses, such as restaurants and shops.

"They are really fundamental to the economy, and their strength has to be husbanded, not taken for granted," Grogan said. "We have to make sure what we already have here remains vital."

But not everyone agrees that the state should take an active role in promoting arts, culture, and other creative firms. David Tuerck, executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute, a conservative think tank at Suffolk University, said the initiative smacked of "pandering to fads."

In general, he said, the state should not try to promote particular industries. Instead, the administration should "reduce corporate taxes and get out of the way, and let our businesses do what they do so well."

The arts and artists have been long viewed as keys to economic development as cities welcomed artists seeking cheap rents to revitalize declining neighborhoods. But creative industries in recent years have gained a more central role in development policies following the publication of Richard Florida's "The Rise of the Creative Class," in which he argues that art, artists, and a freewheeling creative culture are important to attracting skilled workers and fostering innovation.

State Representative Daniel Bosley, a North Adams Democrat and House chairman of the joint Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee, said his hometown is an example of the impact of the creative economy. There, the art museum MassMoCA helped revitalized the old mill city by attracting artists, developers, and a variety of creative firms. Bosley is sponsoring a bill to establish a Creative Economy Council to better define the sector and develop policies to enhance it.

"This cluster has fed a lot of creative people into the Massachusetts economy," Bosley said, "and creativity and innovation have driven our economy since we landed on Plymouth Rock."

Robert Gavin can be reached at rgavin@globe.com.

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