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New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal - June 20, 2006

New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Page: C1/C2
Section: Money
By Nathan White Telegraph-Journal

Moncton hoping to cash in on arts and culture; Enterprise Greater
Moncton to study how the arts can make a bigger economic impact on city

The economic impact of arts and culture has been ignored long enough,
says the chief executive officer of Enterprise Greater Moncton.

People often think about the intangible benefits of the arts, but John
Thompson wants to study the industry in terms of dollars and cents, and
develop a strategy for Moncton to capitalize on its strengths.

"Let's look at the impact of all the arts and cultural events and
activities," said Mr. Thompson, citing examples such as the Atlantic
Ballet Theatre of Canada and the Northrop Frye International Literary
Festival.

"What are the impacts of those organizations, not only in enhancing our
lives, but the pure economic impact?" he asked. "Is there something we
can bring in to enhance what we already have?"

While Moncton will never be an international arts capital like London or
New York, Mr. Thompson believes the Hub City could successfully promote
a certain niche and become a "centre of excellence" in that area.

The idea was spurred by the results of a study released by the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency in 2004.

The study showed that arts and culture accounted for $604 million, or
nearly three per cent, of New Brunswick's gross provincial product in
2002.

That study also said that about 8,000 New Brunswickers were working in
performing arts, visual arts and crafts, book publishing, music and
sound recording and the film, video, and audio-visual industry.

Mr. Thompson would like to "drill down" to find out exactly what's going
on in Moncton and how the city can better capitalize on potential
economic spin-offs. Such spin-offs include short-term inputs such as
increased tourism and retail sales around major events, as well as those
of long-term value that could help Moncton attract skilled workers.

After the initial study, the second phase of the project would identify
specific areas and organizations to develop and enhance. Potential ideas
include developing a ballet or music school, promoting the presence of
the visual arts, increasing the number of literary events or helping
Moncton become a centre for film production.

Mr. Thompson highlighted the example of Stratford, Ont., home of the
largest classical repertory theatre in North America. What started in
the 1950s with an idea of a theatre festival devoted to the works of
William Shakespeare has become a $60-million industry for that town.

"Thinking about its humble beginnings and where it is now, it's a huge
industry for the region," he said. "We need to pick one or two (areas)
we're really strong in and move them to the next level."

Enterprise Greater Moncton has met with members of the arts and culture
scene to discuss the idea. Suzanne Chalmers-Gauvin, founder and
chairwoman of the Atlantic Ballet Theatre, said the ACOA study shows
that the economic impact of the arts is "huge."

"Oftentimes, arts and culture as a group, particularly when you're
developing a strategic plan for the community, it's the last sector
acknowledged. But yet it does have a significant economic impact on a
community," she said.

Paulette Theriault, founder of Northrop Frye festival, believes it's
"absolutely essential" to measure the effect of cultural industries on
the community.

"It's something we need to do and we probably need to do it on a regular
basis like we do in other sectors," she said. "It's the questions of who
benefits from the arts and how are they important? Not just to the arts
community, but to everyone in Moncton."

Ms. Chalmers-Gauvin said the industry can also benefit from strength in
numbers.

"There's a tendency for the arts organizations to really work on their
own individually," she said. The Enterprise Greater Moncton initiative
"is bringing together all of those organizations in one place to look at
where we should be going collectively in the future."

When it comes to focusing on a cultural niche, Moncton could learn from
the example of Lunenburg, N.S.

About an hour's drive southwest of Halifax, Lunenburg's visual arts
community came together last year to present a unified front in an
attempt to put the small town on the cultural map.

"We're just trying to market Lunenburg as an art destination, market
ourselves as the place to come for fine arts," explained Stuart Simpson,
vice-president of the Art Galleries' Association of Lunenburg.

Mr. Simpson's North Shore Canadian Art is one of 19 galleries involved
in the association. The group has produced a brochure with a map
pointing visitors to galleries in the area and also offers a walking
tour and monthly rotating open houses.

Through fundraisers and partnerships with some 40 businesses, the
association has also created a scholarship fund to help local high
school students pursue post-secondary studies in the arts, and a 32-page
full-colour catalogue that advertises bed-and-breakfasts and restaurants
alongside galleries and artists.

Mr. Simpson said the Hub City could easily emulate what he believes is a
successful model for promoting the arts in Atlantic Canada.

"The big thing is just to get all of the different businesses that
haven't traditionally worked together in the past to work together to
market Moncton as a destination for the arts, visual arts, performing
arts, or whatever there is the most of," he said.

"They need to market themselves as one unit, not just individual
businesses.”