WASHINGTON, DC.- Fostering the arts and culture sector has played a vital role in state economic development, according to a new report from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center).

Arts and culture-related industries, collectively known as “creative industries,” provide direct economic benefits to states and communities by creating jobs, attracting new investments, generating tax revenues and stimulating tourism and consumer purchases.

The report, Using Arts and Culture to Stimulate State Economic Development provides examples from states across the country to help governors incorporate the arts and culture into their long-term economic development strategies. It also offers a number of actions states can take to realize the full potential of the creative industries, including:

-Performing a recurring audit of state arts assets;
-Incorporating creative industries into statewide planning;
-Developing strategies to provide support for the arts and culture sector;
-Ensuring creative industries are included in community development plans; and
-Assessing the impact the arts and culture sector can have in enhancing state tourism.

“Leveraging a state’s creative industries can be a valuable asset and play a meaningful role in state long-run economic strategies,” said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. “As cited in this report, many states have found ways to harness the economic benefits the arts and culture sector can have on a region.”

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia said, “With two million artists and thousands of arts organizations in the U.S. able to provide arts and education programs and assist with community development and tourism activities, it makes good economic sense to incorporate the arts into statewide planning.”

The report is the sixth in a series of publications that document how the arts can help states develop additional economic opportunities. The series is produced by the NGA Center with funding support from the National Endowment for the Arts and research assistance from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.

To learn more about how states are using creative industries to bolster their local economies, please visit http://www.nga.org/