arts & business council

MetLife Foundation National Arts Forums Series

Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island

Connecting the Dots: Where do Arts and Culture Impact, Influence, and Intersect with Other Sectors
01/12/2004

Moderator: Karin Reed, Anchor, WJAR NBC10

Panelists:

• Lisa G. Churchville, President and General Manager, WJAR NBC10, and Board Chair, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce
• George Donnelly, Executive Director, Providence Tourism Council
• Ronald V. Gallo, President, The Rhode Island Foundation
• Roger Mandle, President, Rhode Island School of Design
• Richard Reed, Director of Administration, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation
• Robert Kerr, Vice President, Performance Excellence, Taco, Inc.
• Cliff Wood, Director, Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, City of Providence

Program Summary
"Connecting the Dots" brought together some of Rhode Island's most prominent leaders in government, business, philanthropy, policy, tourism, and education to discuss their perspectives on the arts and how their sectors interface with the local arts and cultural community. The panelists were asked to share their frank and unfiltered views on the role arts and culture will play in future community and economic development in Providence and Rhode Island. The panel was moderated by Karin Reed, a news anchor for the local NBC affiliate.

The panelists offered their perspectives on how arts and culture fit within their strategic visions and goals and their barriers to working with the arts community. Lisa Churchville and Robert Kerr, the two representatives of the business community, concurred that the arts are important for business. Not only quality of life, but, as Kerr mentioned, to building a quality workforce. Churchville sees the arts as essential to providing a worker-friendly environment.

Ron Gallo, the CEO of our local community foundation, is confronted daily with the many worthy needs in our community, yet has prioritized the arts as a valuable sector in which to invest.

The connection between tourism and the arts is clear, mentioned George Donnelly, director of the Providence Tourism Council. Yet he has a hard time working with the smaller, lesser known groups. He feels all arts groups need to do a better job planning and presenting themselves to the tourism sector.

The local trend of defunding the arts in schools was a major concern of many of the panelists, particularly Roger Mandel, president of the Rhode Island School of Design. The lack of a good arts education reflects negatively on future arts audiences and the quality of life here in Rhode Island.

All panelists agreed that a healthy, vibrant arts community contributes to the quality of life in the state, which is important, but some were less convinced of the economic return from investment in the arts. Richard Reed, the representative from Rhode Island's state economic development agency, views the arts as a good indicator of a good economy—if the economy is doing well, so will the arts—but did not see the sector as a source of economic development. Even Churchville, a major supporter of the Rhode Island arts community, recognizes that it's easy to talk the talk but very difficult to walk the walk in terms of making a real investment in the sector.

"Connecting the Dots" was productive in raising a number of important issues and getting leaders of other sectors to reflect on how the arts impact their worlds, but it also emphasized the many challenges the arts community faces in developing meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships across sectors.