Arts, culture play key role in reviving Tacoma’s core

ANDREW BUELOW
Last updated: September 26th, 2008 12:54 AM (PDT)

While well-meaning people can disagree on the particulars of a project, the revitalization taking place in Tacoma’s downtown is important to the regional economy and quality of life. And one particular element continues to play a catalytic role: the arts.

Cities across the country have utilized the arts – often concentrated in cultural districts – as catalysts for downtown revitalization. According to an Americans for the Arts study, a cultural district is “a well-recognized, labeled, mixed-use area of a city in which a high concentration of cultural facilities serves as the anchor of attraction.”

This study of 24 cultural districts in the United States found that “the arts can revitalize urban cores, help make neighborhoods safer and more attractive, expand cultural activities for residents and tourists, provide employment and housing for artists, extend the reach of businesses by offering evening activities and even connect the arts more intimately to community development.”

That’s no news flash to anyone familiar with Tacoma’s growth in recent decades.

As two arts organizations in Tacoma mark important milestones in 2008 – the 25th anniversary of the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts and the 15th anniversary of Harvey Felder’s tenure as music director with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra – it is fitting to consider the contribution the arts have made and the opportunities still to come.

The Broadway Center consists of three theaters, each of great beauty and enormous utility. Among the organizations regularly utilizing the theaters are the Christmas Revels, Tacoma Philharmonic, Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Youth Symphony, Tacoma Opera, Tacoma School of the Arts, Tacoma Concert Band, Tacoma City Ballet and the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. These are a mix of presenting organizations which bring in out-of-town groups and artists and resident organizations.

The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra is an example of the latter. It consists of 80-plus professional musicians and a 70-member volunteer chorus, most of who reside in the South Sound region. In addition to performing with the TSO, many of the musicians hold positions in other area ensembles; perform as soloists and freelancers; and teach privately and at schools, colleges and universities.

Collectively, the many South Sound resident performing arts groups make it possible for professional musicians to live, work and perform in our midst, greatly enriching all of our lives.

Conversely, the presenting organizations provide the opportunity for patrons to experience nationally acclaimed performers without having to travel to Seattle, Portland or further afield. And what an array; from the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Andre Previn and the Canadian Brass to Lily Tomlin, the Altar Boyz and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Tacoma’s presenting organizations provide something for virtually all ages and tastes.

More than 100 events are scheduled to take place at the Broadway Center between now and next June, bringing more than 50,000 people to downtown. On nights when the Broadway Center theaters are in use, the Theater District is a bustling area. These people patronize shops, restaurants and pubs both before and after the performances.

According to a 2003 survey conducted by GMA Research on behalf of ArtsFund, patrons spent nearly $4 million on food and beverages annually in Pierce County before and after events. Total patron expenditures on arts events exceeded $20 million, the majority of which remains in the local economy.

People may disagree on the specifics of projects such as the Broadway-St. Helens Urban Village. But the transformation of downtown Tacoma is good for all of us, and the role of the arts is key to that transformation.

What better way to celebrate it than by taking in a Tacoma Symphony concert or another event at the Broadway Center? Let us all make note of the role of the arts in the revitalization of Tacoma – and continue to support the organizations that make it happen.

Andrew Buelow is executive director of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra.

Originally published: September 26th, 2008 12:54 AM (PDT)