“There is no better indicator of the spiritual health of our city, its neighborhoods, and the larger region than the state of the arts. The arts deepen our understanding of the human spirit, extend our capacity to comprehend the lives of others, allow us to imagine a more just and humane world. Through their diversity of feeling, their variety of form, their multiplicity of inspiration, the arts make our culture richer and more reflective.”

– Jonathan Fanton, President,
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Imagine artists from around the country choosing Chattanooga to develop and exhibit their works of art. Consider tourists selecting Chattanooga, not only for the beauty and wonderful attractions that exist today, but for the city’s diverse arts and culture. Envision employers continuing to choose Chattanooga for their corporate location because the cultural diversity is attractive to their employees and also helps to attract the best and brightest professionals to their companies.

This is the vision of local leaders who are leading efforts for Chattanooga to be an arts and culture destination. Among these leaders is Dan Bowers, president of Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga. With funding provided by private donors and the Tennessee Arts Commission, Allied Arts is building awareness and excitement within our communities for the wonderful array of arts that are currently offered. Additionally, Allied Arts is leading efforts, along with other civic and private organizations, to market Chattanooga as a multicultural arts destination.

“We want to reveal the breadth and vibrancy of the arts that are here,” says Bowers. “At the same time we want tourists, artists, and employers to choose Chattanooga for visits and for their hometown due to our arts and cultural diversity.”

With the help of Jim Kennedy of Kennedy, Coulter, Rushing & Watson, an initial assessment of the community was conducted to help establish a benchmark from which plans could be developed. “We were asked by Allied Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission to pursue a question the community has been asking for a long time: how do we talk about the arts in a way that would attract people to the community? How would we brand Chattanooga as an arts destination? We asked questions about what the arts are in Chattanooga. We asked if there were other places that have successfully branded themselves as arts communities so that we could learn from them and not reinvent the wheel. Then we asked if there was a place here that really captures the essence of the arts. There were many interesting findings,” he notes.

Conducting individual interviews and focus groups with artists, patrons and business people, Kennedy found a significant recurring response: participants felt that something is developing in Chattanooga that has not been here in the past. Asked to describe arts and culture here, they used words like “emerging, surprising, unexpected and growing.” Though they could not clearly define it, the idea of an emerging arts movement was threaded throughout the discussions.

The study also revealed that art is defined differently by people. “When asked what art is comprised of in Chattanooga, I got 60 different answers,” says Kennedy. “They mentioned everything from genres to venues to festivals. In each focus group, and in many interviews, stories were told about people coming from other cities. After being exposed to art in Chattanooga they would say, ‘Who would have thought that Chattanooga has this sort of richness in art?’ One woman was so impressed that she sold her home and moved here,” Kennedy comments.

Through the information gathered from the study, Dan Bowers and Allied Arts hope to better describe and quantify the types of art offered today in the city. Additionally, they plan to use this type of information to attract new artists and visitors to Chattanooga, as well as help the community understand, grow, and broaden its arts offerings. Ultimately, their goal is to grow the arts, and with it, the city’s economic vitality.

Marketing the city’s diverse arts can have a considerably positive economic impact for Chattanooga. Studies indicate that both metropolitan areas and small towns have found the nonprofit arts and culture industry to be an economically sound investment. The arts bring business, attract audiences, enhance business development, support jobs and generate government revenue.

“We should not underestimate the fact that Volkswagen chose the Hunter Museum as their venue to announce their decision to come here,” Bowers explains. “I believe the arts make Chattanooga much more competitive with other potential sites for bringing businesses here. It is a huge role for us to present employers with the advantages that arts and culture play in our city.”

A recent study conducted by Americans for the Arts documents the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry. According to the study “Arts & Economic Prosperity III,” the industry generates $166 billion in economic activity annually in the U.S. - $63 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. The impact is significant, supporting 5.7 million jobs and generating $29.6 billion in government revenue.

Supporting this assertion locally, Bob Doak, President and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, says that the arts definitely play an integral role in the success of Chattanooga as a tourism destination. “We are an exceptional city, full of a wide variety of phenomenal activities,” Doak says. “People continue to visit our city year after year because of our commitment to make Chattanooga a better place.”

In an effort to further identify the community’s perspective on art, and build awareness for the arts within our community, Allied Arts launched a campaign, “WhatIsArt2Me.” The campaign website (www.whatisart2me.org) provides a forum for citizens to post their perspectives on art.

Brian May of Maycreate designed the “WhatIsArt2Me” campaign. “We wondered what would happen if we asked the citizens of Chattanooga to define what they think art is,” May says. “To some it is ballet, to others it is painting or dance or the design of a car. The ‘WhatIsArt2Me’ campaign is designed to build awareness for the wide range of arts within our community. If Chattanoogans believe that we are an arts community, they are the best sellers of the city and it takes a lot less effort to spread the word. I think it is a very bold step to introduce our city to the broad scope of art. It is not just white-walled museums; we live with art in our lives every day.”

Chattanooga has a rich history of art in the community. Last year, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera celebrated its 75th anniversary. This year, Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga celebrates its 40th anniversary. The Chattanooga Theatre Center is one of the oldest continuous performing centers in the country.

Today, Chattanooga is birthing new arts organizations that are hoping to grow art opportunities for the future. One such organization, CreateHere, is focused on economic and cultural development through partnerships, programs and projects, and investing resources to unlock the endless potential of Chattanooga’s people.

“We help small businesses, artists and artisans,” says Josh McManus, co-founder of CreateHere. “We identify innovative ideas and provide a platform to implement them.”

“I think that artists choose Chattanooga because of the quality of life offered here, its convenience to other cities where they sell, and the revitalization that has brought downtown alive,” says McManus. “They like the living and working situation we offer and we seem to have the right ingredients to attract them.”

ArtsMove, an artist relocation project, is one project of CreateHere. ArtsMove provides incentives to artists in order bring them to Chattanooga. The program helps artists establish work and living locations in one of five neighborhoods: Main Street, Jefferson Heights, Fort Negley, Cowart Place and the M.L. King district.

“We have helped to move 27 artists here through that program,” McManus explains. “We want to add new creative energy to the really exciting base we already have.”

John and Peggy Petrey moved to Chattanooga from Orlando, Florida, through the ArtsMove program about a year ago. “We had been looking at relocating to Southern California or Santa Fe,” says John. “When we came to Chattanooga for the 4 Bridges Festival, we were on our way to buy property in Asheville. During that weekend, I enjoyed the Bluff View Arts District, Hunter Museum and the River Walk. It was like the lights were turned on in this town. It was just a nice, comfortable place. It offered a lifestyle that was more than we anticipated and we decided that we belonged in Chattanooga.”

Missy Crutchfield, director of Chattanooga’s Department of Arts, Education and Culture, says that Chattanooga is poised as an arts destination. “We know that the most successful cities are those that choose to invest in the arts and connect with artists. We have great leadership in our city that is willing to step forward and invest in the arts. Chattanooga is a city that resonates with arts and culture,” she comments.

Dan Bowers adds, “We have a wonderfully diverse art community and leaders committed to its growth. With funding from the private sector and public support, we have a tremendous opportunity to increase awareness for the arts within our area and across the United States. Art reflects the diverse cultures and spirit of any community. It is also important for the economic strength of Chattanooga.”