Madison Arts Boosters: Learn from JazzFest

Rob Morast offers interesting observations of the impact of JazzFest on Sioux Falls [Rob Morast, "Hailing 'A Signature Event,'" that big Sioux Falls newspaper that really doesn't need to peddle smut to stay in business, 2007.07.22]. Morast emphasizes that when we consider the impact of arts events on a community, we should not limit our thinking to economic effects. A signature event can create great cultural changes that may have a deeper, longer-lasting impact than any new high-rise office building or factory.

JazzFest, Morast says, "has helped inspire a wave of artistic acceptance in Sioux Falls." Prior to JazzFest, back in the heady days when Sioux Falls topped the Money magazine "Best Places to Live" list, the city still got rotten scores for "leisure and arts." But since JazzFest's humble beginnings, Sioux Falls has seen a near-revolutionary surge in arts activities: Morast rattles off a list of cultural events including Summer Jam, Taste of South Dakota, LifeLight, ArtFalls, RibFest (there's lots of music with that meat), and the scuplture walk and summertime outdoor music downtown. JazzFest set the stage for much of this artistic success, says Morast, by setting the "expectation that quality art or music could come to town." Steve Hoffman, Washington Pavilion executive director, adds that JazzFest not only increases the city's "cultural wealth" but also "makes Sioux Falls a destination."

Therein lies the justification for increasing our support for the arts in Madison (and in any community, big or small). People don't look at communities purely as places to make money (well, some people might, but those aren't the people I want to have over for dinner). That would be like looking at a house purely as a place to eat and sleep out of the rain. If that's all a house was, carpet and paint and appliances and dishes would all come in one color. Houses themselves would all be the same shape (although we may note with dismay the proliferation of subdivisions where that is the case). A house built and used solely for utilitarian, profit-making purposes lacks the soul of a true home.

Communities are not houses; they are homes. Businesses and residents move to communities not simply to pursue optimal economic conditions but to find a place to call home, a place that will enrich them in all ways, financially, culturally, and spiritually.

Think of a stereotypical factory or office. Maybe you have a good job there, and you could make a heck of a lot of money if you just put a cot in the break room and stayed there around the clock, but nobody does that. People want to put in their 40 hours a week, then get the heck out, away from the machines, the noise, the computers, the drab office walls, and enjoy the lake, a movie, a concert, or just the peace and quiet of the back yard.

Likewise with communities. If a community is all factories and offices without a good assortment of cultural activities for the three-quarters of the time people have away from work, people will feel something lacking. Investors may hear the thrum of economic development, but they won't feel the buzz of a truly vibrant and enriching community. Most businesspeople and workers won't move to a community that lacks that artistic cultural buzz... and the ones who do are probably profit-focused drudges who won't make for interesting neighbors who will actively participate in events that build real community.

So when our school system deprioritizes funding for the arts, and when some in our business community say we don't need those artsy types around here, we hamstring our efforts toward full economic development. To really distinguish itself and create the most vibrant, attractive community possible, Madison needs to throw its full support behind the arts. Increased attention to the arts in our schools is one important step; creating a signature event like JazzFest is another. We're trying, with events like Dakota Jam (a DSU athletics fundraiser, entering its third year), but we're still looking for that one breakout arts event that will define Madison as a destination for arts lovers.