A creative economy for Bangor

There’s a new buzz these days in economic development and policy circles centered on something called the “creative economy.” Because it’s a new term, creative economy often is misunderstood to mean innovation in science and technology or even, simply, creativity in the workplace, which is certainly nothing new. Instead, creative economy refers to a newly defined economic cluster that has always been a part of our overall economy, but has only recently been identified as a discrete economic sector.

The creative economy is unified by an underlying characteristic of artistic and cultural creativity. With individual artists at its core, the creative economy includes people who are employed in advertising, architecture, design, film, the literary and performing arts, music, publishing, television and radio, cultural heritage and arts museums, and the like. The creative economy cuts across almost every sector and is comprised primarily of nonprofit organizations, self-employed individuals, and small businesses-many of which serve larger businesses of all types.

It wasn’t until recently that regional organizations such as The New England Council began to describe and study the collective impact of these occupations. Its 2000 report, “The Creative Economy Initiative: The Role of Arts and Culture in New England’s Economic Competitiveness,” revealed some impressive figures. From 1993-1997,

. 3.5 percent of New England’s total workforce was employed in the creative economy, more than the region’s software or medical technology industries;

. creative economy jobs grew at twice the rate of jobs in the general economy (14 percent compared with 8 percent);

. the New England creative economy generated $6.6 billion in cultural tourism dollars alone, which does not include the sale of cultural goods and services, national foundation or federal dollars.

As it turns out, the creative economy is not just good for quality of life; it’s equally important to the prosperity of a region. Richard Florida, a noted regional economist at Carnegie Mellon University, found that his “Bohemian Index,” which measures local employment in the creative economy, turns out to be a strong predictor not only of regional high-technology growth but also of overall population and employment growth. Adding to this, The New England Council points out, these benefits have been realized without any concerted policy coordination or focused investment.

Until recently, part of the difficulty has been that even those employed in the creative economy did not identify themselves as part of a larger economic sector. The New England Council argues it’s high time we consider what the force of coordinated policies and investment might ultimately yield in promoting economic growth and prosperity throughout New England. Maine has endorsed this notion whole heartedly and statewide organizations, such as the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Community Foundation, and even Governor Baldacci, have begun promoting local efforts to strengthen creative economies.

Now the question for small cities like Bangor is how to bring home the benefits of the creative economy. There are some promising signs, but more remains to be done. For example, tied to the downtown revitalization effort, Bangor has continued to develop cultural anchors such as the new Maine Discovery Museum and, even newer, University of Maine Museum of Art and Bangor Museum and Center for History. These venues complement the expanded Bangor Public Library and Penobscot Theatre Company.

Many of Bangor’s creative citizens also are working hard to permanently anchor annual cultural draws, such as a yearly folk festival (to begin after the National Folk Festival concludes its stay), and other events tied to development of the waterfront and the celebration of the arts.

Still, even with strong anchors, Bangor’s creative economy remains fragile. Recently, the Penobscot Theater Company announced it would close at the end of this summer if not enough money could be raised to sustain it. However, even more problematic for the city is the fact that, absent a special event, the city’s creative economy remains largely invisible to the public eye. Graduating students from the University of Maine regularly report that “nothing is going on in downtown Bangor.” The downtown lacks a vibrancy that comes from seeing people who are being visibly creative at any time of day, on any given day. This translates into a lack of creative identity other areas have captured, such as Portland’s Old Port, Waterville’s Railroad Square Cinema, and the city of Rockland.

So what needs to happen? Below are some initial ideas, by no means a complete list. First, we need to ensure that our cultural anchors are strong and remain so. Second, we need to convene gatherings among Greater Bangor’s communities to promote creative facilities, such as artist housing, incubators for self-employed practitioners, coffee houses and multi-media studios that are open to the public. We also need to convene gatherings that celebrate the city’s ethnic and cultural diversity.

Third, we need to develop centralized informational resources that enable all citizens and visitors to easily participate in such gatherings. Fourth, we need to build private investment funds and to encourage funding mechanisms such as workplace giving and other forms of corporate giving directed toward the arts and culture. Finally, we need local policies that encourage the visible expression of creativity throughout the downtown. These are but a few steps, some of which have already been initiated by groups in Bangor.

Ultimately, in Bangor, we want our policies, investments, and citizens to promote the kind of cultural and artistic vibrancy throughout the downtown that leads people and businesses to say, “I fell in love at first sight and never plan to leave.”

Kathryn Hunt is a research associate at the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy at the University of Maine and a resident of Bangor.