A creative vision of progress in the City of Orillia
May 27, 2008
"Progress" is a word that is used in various business publications and Orillia's economic development department. We think of "progress" in terms of building new facilities such as a university campus, a new school and recreation facilities. We tend to define our "progress" as a city in terms of economic growth. Creating more profits for businesses is one definition of progress and growth. May I suggest that "progress" in today's economic environment can also be found in strengthening relationships between businesses and artists in our city. Supporting the arts is good business.
I would like to congratulate those businesses in Orillia that support local arts activities. This city is one of the most beautiful in Ontario and indeed Canada, but there is another beauty in Orillia and it is found in an extremely vibrant arts community. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people living in Orillia who are actively involved in creative artistic activities in Orillia and the support in donations, sponsorship of concerts and artistic events is appreciated by amateur artists who pursue their artistic passion.
Families will stay in Orillia to be involved in the rich and diverse opportunities for personal development, including music, dance, drama and visual arts. Supporting community-based creative arts should not be viewed as a form of charity. Richard Florida, in his book "The Rise of the Creative Class," suggests that businesses, corporations, and cities paying attention to "quality of place" are now realizing that there are hard-nosed economic reasons for supporting the arts. Doing so will attract creatively talented people and thus the companies that power growth and "progress" in today's economy.
The relationship between the arts community and business is very well established in Orillia. A recent report of the provincial government pilot program, Business for the Arts ( artsVest ) documents the strong arts support of our businesses. The communities that participated in this 2007-08 pilot program were Kingston, Sault Ste. Marie, Orillia and the Niagara region. In each community, businesses and arts groups shared the financial burden of producing creative arts activities. Orillia was the most successful participant in this program and so we know that the business support is strong for the arts in our community. Hundreds of businesses support our artistic community by financial sponsorship, program ads and many other ways that help creativity flourish.
The challenge I propose to businesses is to "Adopt an Artist" in your business planning. The challenge for artists is to offer something in return to a business that wants to support your creative efforts.
There are approximately 2,000 businesses in Orillia and I am proposing that ALL businesses participate in the "Adopt an Artist" program and all arts groups and individual artists or groups of artists offer value in return for that business support. The support I am suggesting does not have to be financial. Amazing creative approaches can be negotiated between a business and artists to mutually support each other's interests. I am suggesting a new community-wide vision for Orillia that will provide an additional dimension of "progress" for Orillia as a leading arts centre in Ontario.
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