One of the things our class talked about recently were the issues facing Broome County. One of the presentations on the issues was on poverty and economic development. Although it has been a couple weeks since we have discussed poverty and economic development, the issue has been on my mind, and I would like to share some thoughts.
We identified that Broome County and the city of Binghamton have some economic woes. There has been loss of jobs, the cost of living is higher than the median income, and half of the population is under 18 or over 55. We proposed and discussed various solutions and nonprofits that would aid in the economic development of Broome County. I would like to discuss a possible solution to revitalizing the economy and attracting young people to stay here. Artists.
A town along the Hudson River, Beacon, NY, is a town that like Binghamton, has seen economic distress. But, because of artists, it has now come back to life.
Beacon is a town about 40 minutes away from where I live. My parents and I have seen how Bacon has been revitalized by artists. Around the 1970’s, Beacon saw factories close and businesses abandoned. Then in 2003, a contemporary art museum named Dia:Beacon opened up. This is often credited as the event that sparked the revitalization of Beacon. The museum not only attracted tourists, but artists to live in Beacon as permanent residents. The artists opened up galleries and soon restaurants, coffee shops, and small businesses opened up. Beacon is now a vibrant downtown full of creative young people.
The revitalization of Beacon was fueled by Dia:Beacon. Dia:Beacon was funded through philanthropy. The executive chairman of Barnes and Nobles along with a foundation and a wall street financier donated the money to build Dia:Beacon. It was chain reaction. Wealthy donors aided in the creation of an art museum, the art museum attracted artists, the artists decided to live and work in the town, and the economy recovered.
Binghamton's economy could be revitalized by artists. I think Binghamton is on its way. They have a First Friday Art Walk, a museum and science center, and a really neat annual light festival called LUMA(check it out if you haven’t!). But maybe Binghamton needs something more; like the Dia:Beacon museum. One example that is already in the works comes to mind; TechWorks. TechWorks, also known as the Center for Technology and Innovation, is a center that showcases the inventions and innovations of the Southern Tier. They are currently housed in an old factory building on Water Street downtown and have a plan to renovate. The renovation will cost about $15 million. This could possibly be funded through philanthropy like Dia:Beacon was. Maybe you can see some parallels between TechWorks in Binghamton and Dia:Beacon in Beacon. Maybe TechWorks could be the catalyst to making Binghamton's economy better. Maybe philanthropy, through donations to cultural and creative outlets is what Binghamton needs.
I think it's interesting to consider the fact that artists seem to revitalize communities. What do you think? Can artists revitalize the Binghamton economy?
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteI think your post is one of the most interesting I've read thus far. This idea is something that was never mentioned in class, and the idea that art can be used to alleviate poverty would have never crossed my mind had I not read this post. Art has never been an interest of mine, yet this theory that Binghamton can create a culture/art center to revitalize the economy is fascinating! I did a little research and found that Beacon is not the first city to use art to give it life again (and probably won't be the last). Pawtucket, a blue collar town in Rhode Island that had many closed buildings, created a special arts district in the early 1990s. This city allowed artists to move into some of the empty buildings as live-work space, and in 1998, the state legislature exempted artwork from the state sales tax and exempted artists from having to pay income taxes on their artwork. As a result, many of the abandoned buildings have been fully renovated. Art galleries, cafes, and shops formed as well, which gave the city life again.
I don't see why Binghamton can't follow the footsteps of Beacon and Pawtucket. Binghamton was once a thriving city that housed the super-company IBM. It was be awesome to see it revitalized by a culture/art center that would attract high-value and creative minds.
Link to a wall street article on the effect of art centers on economies:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cities-see-the-arts-as-a-beautiful-economic-tool-1492394701
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteLet me just start by saying I really enjoyed your blog post. It was very refreshing to see a unique approach to alleviating poverty and spurring economic development. As we've spoke of in class, Binghamton's economy has stalled since the dotcom bubble burst and the 2008 financial crisis. This is due to the fact that after the 1880s, the area's main economic driving force has been large manufacturers, and the military industrial complex. As Binghamton continues to deindustrialize, it is important that the city makes a smooth transition to a post-industrial economy. The process of revitalizing the Binghamton economy with a growing focus on the importance on art is often called a creative economy. It sounds like Beacon and Pawtucket both successfully made the transition from an industrial economy to a creative economy. For Binghamton to succeed it will need to place more emphasis on higher education, the arts, food, and media. As the University continues to be a large industry to the area's economy, embracing the creative economy could be a step in the right direction.
My favorite creative economy is Asheville, NC. The city embraced its role as the San Francisco of the Appalachian Mountains. Asheville is now famous for its arts, food, and tourism industry. Asheville has funded the arts; Enacting laws to support artists, and preserving affordable living and working spaces for artists. There is some evidence that these initiatives have led to job creation and economic growth. The most important aspect of the creative economy of Asheville is the openness and acceptance that is fundamental to the culture of the city. It is palpable, the atmosphere of the city, something that is felt while just walking around. Despite this improvement, the transition to a creative economy has not been painless for Asheville. The city ranks number two in the country for highest rate of gentrification, top ten for worst food insecurity and high rates of homelessness even to the point of becoming known as the "Home for the Homeless".
I believe if embracing the Creative economy was the approach Binghamton took for spurring economic development, it would be a very difficult process. Binghamton faces stiff competition from surrounding cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Ithaca, which all already have vibrant art, food, and college scenes.
Sincerely,
David Engelmann
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/03/23/ashevilles-art-scene-economic-engine/70333494/- Info On Asheville's Creative Economy
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-homelessness-in-asheville-that-no-one-is-discussing_us_59c45b41e4b06ddf45f6cc90- Homelessness in Asheville
Dear Ann,
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that Binghamton would highly profit from a growing culture and art scene because I think that there lays huge potential in the cultural and creative industries to function as a driving force behind economic and social development.
I want to comment on not only Binghamton but the entire concept of art and culture as a backbone for economic and social stability. There is a book called “The Creative Community Builder’s Handbook: How to Transform Communities Using Local Assets, Arts and Culture” by Tom Borrup, in which the author argues that culturally driven community development is not simply a “luxury” but actually functions as a crucial part in using the given potential of each community to support disadvantages groups of society. Borrup targets the question of what role the arts play within the process of regeneration and to what extent they can live up to this role.
While reading more about this topic I found out that there have published been several academic and scientific studies regarding this field. Sociologist Robert Putnam believes that in order to create long – lasting economic success, strong social connections are a necessary prerequisite. Furthermore, Dr. Felton Earls, Harvard professor of public health found out that a strong social bond within communities could have a profound effect on people’s health. “His research found that the single-most important factor differentiating levels of health from one neighborhood to the next was what he called "collective efficacy." He was surprised to find that it wasn't wealth, access to healthcare, crime, or some more tangible factor that topped the list. A more elusive ingredient--the capacity of people to act together on matters of common interest--made a greater difference in the health and well-being of individuals and neighborhoods.”
However, I also want to mention that there are indeed critical voices addressing the artistic boom in cities. Something that might not be a cause of discussion in Binghamton at the moment but that one should keep in mind for the future. Anna Francis writes that, “In understanding the role that art and culture can have in changing places, it is now important to ask if what we are creating is of benefit to everyone concerned. Artists have a role to play in both questioning the processes of regeneration, but also, I believe, in supporting communities within these places to articulate their experience, and to advocate for their rights.”
Focusing solely on the artistic and cultural sector as a source and catalyst for economic growth in Binghamton would probably not work. As we have discussed, Binghamton faces pressing issues such as the opioid crisis, youth poverty, or food insecurity. Without a doubt, these issues must be addressed as well and cannot be forgotten. However, I believe that acknowledging the potential of economic growth that can be found within the arts and cultures should not be ignored.
If you want to read more about this matter, the American Planning Association has a very informative and interesting article on this matter, explaining how the arts and culture sector catalyzes economic vitality. It outlines pretty detailed how arts and culture are directly connected with local economic vitality. The article presents several cases of successful combination of artistic projects or activities and economic development.
https://www.planning.org/research/arts/briefingpapers/vitality.htm
https://www.pps.org/article/artsprojects
https://theconversation.com/artwashing-gentrification-is-a-problem-but-vilifying-the-artists-involved-is-not-the-answer-83739