Thiscould go down as jobs week in the District: Mayor-elect Vincent Gray kicked off things Monday with his job summit. At-large Council Member Michael Brown is expected to hold a public roundtable Friday to examine the so-called “creative economy” — the marketplace for plays, music and other artistic endeavors. “It’s frustrating looking at New York and Los Angeles take such interest in their creative industry. We don’t deal with it like it creates jobs and makes money,” Brown told me. He said even nearby jurisdictions have been much more accommodating to the industry, which includes fashion designers, architects, chefs, writers, graphic artists, musicians and other performing artists. He said he wants to provide resources and structure to such businesses.
“It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the smart thing to do,” Brown said. Recent studies have indicated the industry has been directly responsible for producing 75,000 jobs and generating $5 billion of income.
“It’s a big deal. Most people don’t know that and don’t understand that,” said George Koch, one of the leaders of the creative economy movement who have met with Brown and his staff over the past several months.
Past could be prologue to robust job creation, said Koch, pointing to Arts DC, a 1970s and 1980s program that was funded, in part, through the federal Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. Modeled after the Depression-era Works Projects Administration, Arts DC trained and found jobs for unemployed people in the creative industry — administrators, visual artists, stage technicians, set designers, costumers, actors, musicians, etc. — with various organizations and groups, including the Washington Performing Arts Society, Studio Theatre, Washington Ballet, Gala Hispanic Theatre, and Fondo Del Sol Gallery.
“The unemployment rate back then was the same as the unemployment rate is now,” said Koch.
Arts DC trainees worked at their host site for six months, receiving valuable hands-on experience while making important contacts in the industry. Many subsequently were hired as full- or part-time staff, firmly placing them on track of successful careers. Sheila Crider, a writer and painter, went on to win literary awards and exhibit her paintings nationally and internationally. She recently won the commission for an art installation at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Fred Strothers became a well-known stage and television actor. Anne Becker was named poet laureate of Takoma Park.
I also worked at Arts DC. After my initial training, I became the organization’s program manager. Eventually, I left to co-produce several festivals at the Kennedy Center.
The capital investment for Arts DC was minimal. The return was significant and long-lasting. It didn’t just affect people; it also sustained the host organizations. Were it not for CETA and Arts DC, many of those companies would not have survived.
Brown may not want to duplicate exactly the WPA or Arts DC model. But getting close to those successes could mean a drop in the unemployment rate, an increase in revenues and a stronger, more vibrant small-business community. That would be a win for everyone.
Jonetta Rose Barras’ column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
