Columbus artists sell the city

American Demographics, August, 1991 by Lynn Waldsmith

From Boston to San Diego, cities are supporting the arts as a way to turn their urban problem into an economic opportunity. The problem is bustling downtown neighborhoods that become concrete deserts once the business day ends. The solution is a vibrant arts scene that creates significant demand for restaurants, clubs, and after-hours shopping. It's not easy to create hipness where none existed before, but some cities are doing just that.

Local governments are the nation's leading arts patrons, says Robert Lynch, president and CEO of the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies. They give more money to the arts than all state arts agencies and the National Endowment for the Arts combined. Increasingly, cities are funding the arts by taxing hotel rooms or other specific sources.

One of the leading urban arts patrons is Columbus, Ohio, where downtown revitalization plans hinge on an extensive arts program. The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC), a private nonprofit agency, distributes some $3 million annually to traditional fine-arts institutions (such as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Art), artists, and classes. The city provides $1.8 million; the balance is contributed by private donors.

This outpouring of support may be one reason why central Columbus is thriving in a region of decline. Among Ohio's ten largest cities, Columbus was the only one whose population increased during the 1980s.

Columbus emphasizes "a broad array of cultural arts opportunities for its citizens," says mayor Dana Rinehart. "You've got to have something for everybody." The centers of activity include a $5 million Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for the performing and Cultural Arts, the Columbus Cultural Arts Center, a profusion of local theaters, and the "Short North" district of trendy galleries, shops, and restaurants. Every year in June, an 11-day arts festival draws 500,000 people to the city.

Columbus's primary goal in supporting the arts is to create a positive image for itself, says GCAC president Ray Hanley. Columbus "doesn't have a negative image to overcome; it doesn't have an image," he says. With no major league sports teams, beaches, or mountains to promote, city boosters have turned to the arts. "We do not want to be perceived as a New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles," he says. "We want to be perceived as a Minneapolis, Seattle, or Toronto--as a sophisticated, urbane, growth-centered city."

Columbus is already a much healthier city than many of its neighbors. Many midwestern cities were devastated by severe losses of manufacturing jobs during the 1980s. But Columbus's economy is insulated by the state capital, several higher-education institutions (including the 50,000-student Ohio State University), and Rickenbacker Air Force Base. The city's population grew a respectable 12 percent during the 1980s.

Among Ohio's ten largest cities, population growth of any kind is exceptional. The city of Youngstown lost 17 percent of its residents during the 1980s, Cleveland lost 12 percent, and double-digit losses were also recorded in Canton and Dayton. The cities of Akron, Cincinnati, Toledo, Lorain, and Parma were also losers.

Some of these population losses are offset by growth in the surrounding suburbs. And some of Columbus's population gain was due to annexation. The city annexed about 12 square miles during the 1980s, according to city planner Carl Klein. But annexation also occurred in Akron, Canton, and Dayton. "There is real population growth in Columbus," says Klein.

Lynch says that Columbus is a good model for other cities because it uses the arts successfully in three ways. First, it uses arts events to attract tourist dollars to the downtown area. Second, it renovates and builds arts facilities in the center of town. Third, it uses the arts as an "ambassador" to communicate a vital image to the rest of the country.

"We have built a $30 million cultural industry in central Columbus," says Hanley. "That's where people gather together."

--Lynn Waldsmith