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 The 987-seat thrust stage auditorium in the Loretto-Hilton Center gives Opera Theatre of Saint Louis performances a unique dramatic impact. Here the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis performs The Secret Marriage in 2004.
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The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is the nation's second-oldest symphony. |
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The Saint Louis Art Museum is among the top 10 in the country. |
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The Muny is America's oldest and largest outdoor musical theater. |
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The Missouri Botanical Garden is the pre-eminent botanical research institution in the world. |
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The Saint Louis Zoo is the No. 1 zoo in the nation, according to the 2004 Zagat Survey's U.S. Family Travel Guide. |
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The Magic House is the No. 1 national attraction with the most child appeal in the 2004 Zagat Survey. |
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The St. Louis Black Repertory Company is one of the top three African-American theatre companies in the country. |
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It's easy enough to prove the arts enrich our lives in innumerably complex, intangible ways. Aside from the sheer enjoyment that millions of people derive from our cultural landscape, the arts contribute to our children’s education, assist local employers in their efforts to recruit and retain top-notch talent, bring neighbors together through volunteerism, and contribute to the economic development efforts of the region.
But in a more bottom line sense, what do our arts and cultural institutions bring to the economic table? For the first time in the history of the region, the RCGA Arts, Business and Culture Committee set out to answer that question. During the fall of 2002 and early 2003—and now updated for 2004—the RCGA’s Chief Economist Bryan Bezold conducted an economic impact survey of local arts and cultural organizations.
This comprehensive survey included both larger arts and cultural entities, such as the Saint Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Zoo,
the St. Louis Science Center, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, as well as mid-size groups, such as the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and small artistic institutions, such as the St. Louis Chamber Chorus. Geographic diversity was also taken into account, including organizations in both Missouri and Illinois.
The findings were quite powerful. The responding 88 organizations reported:
- A combined annual attendance of 12.6
million people—more than the combined seasons of the St. Louis Cardinals,
St. Louis Rams, and St. Louis Blues.
- Some 4,400 full-time and part-time workers—equivalent to well-known companies such as Emerson or Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
- Revenues approaching $244 million.
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Arts, Business and Culture Committee Chairman Bob Ciapciak, Edward Jones senior partner, says, “We have always known the arts are good for the economy, but now we can quantify and qualify just how important they really are.”
When one considers the money spent on nearby venues, such as restaurants and hotels, the estimated economic impact of the 88 organizations was over $714 million, with a direct and indirect impact of almost 13,800 jobs.
Ciapciak continues, “If there is a single message that the survey reinforces (it’s that) the arts and cultural institutions are an economic engine that help fuel the local economy. It is critical that they remain healthy from both a business and civic standpoint.”
David Kemper, chairman, president and CEO of Commerce Bancshares, and president of Civic Progress, strongly agrees. “To be a major urban player, quality of life and a vibrant arts community go together. The strength of our region’s institutions are a very unique asset and give us a competitive advantage,” he adds. “It is important that the business and civic community look at how to support and nourish these regional jewels.”
Jill McGuire, executive director of the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission (RAC) (see Funding the Arts, pg. 30), says the region enjoys a remarkable variety of arts for any conceivable taste—along with the strength to back them up. “We just don’t have one of this and one of that,” she says. “We have the smaller theater companies, a rich music scene and the depth that provides opportunities for local actors.”
Jim Weidman, president of the St. Louis Arts and Education Council (A&E) (see Funding the Arts, pg. 30), concurs. “Everything connected to the arts shows how important and integral it is to the economics of the region to help support the cultural health of the community,” he says.
The RCGA economic impact study confirms what most in the region already know: St. Louis is an impressive national cultural center, with about 4.4 million people visiting here annually to attend various artistic and cultural venues—all of which generate important new tourism dollars.
 (Top to bottom): David Kemper, president, Civic Progress; Jill McGuire, executive director, St. Louis Regional Arts Commission; Jeffrey Bonner, president and CEO, St. Louis Zoo. |
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St. Louis Zoo President and CEO Jeffrey Bonner, who chaired the work group overseeing the RCGA economic impact study, says he has seen evidence of this firsthand. During the 2004 Memorial Day Weekend, Bonner says the staff counted cars from 42 different states at the Zoo parking lot. “So many tourists come here to spend their money and take advantage of our great cultural institutions,” he says. “Sometimes we don’t brag enough about how great we have it. For a city our size, it is remarkable how first-rate all of our cultural institutions are.”
National surveys back him up. In May, the Zoo was ranked the No. 1 zoo in the country, outranking the famed San Diego Zoo, according to Zagat Survey’s U.S. Family Travel Guide in association with Parenting Magazine. Bonner notes, “We have the best Zoo in the world. So many things set our Zoo apart; from the multi-sensory Penguin and Puffin Coast exhibit, to our newly re-opened 100-year-old Flight Cage. Our Zoo is affordable, accessible and a multi-generational family experience.”
Bonner, a native of St. Louis, spent 10 years at the Indianapolis Zoo before being recruited home. Previously, he served as director of the St. Louis Science Center. While in Indianapolis, he often heard people say they were going to St. Louis for the weekend to take advantage of all the free and low cost cultural institutions like the Zoo, Art Museum, Science Center, Botanical Garden and Forest Park.
The same holds true in the Metro East portion of our region. In Collinsville sits the world—renowned remains of the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico. Cahokia Mounds is not only an Illinois State Historic Site, but is also designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site, ranking it with the Grand Canyon and the Egyptian pyramids in importance.
“Cahokia Mounds is truly an internationally known site, as foreign visitors sometimes tell us that they came to this country just to visit Cahokia Mounds,” says Cheryl Jett, executive director for the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society. In 2003, more than 357,000 visitors came from all 50 states and 83 countries—including at least 1,000 school groups.
Jett acknowledges that rising costs and shrinking state budgets are a grim reality, but stresses how important it is to keep our attractions accessible and affordable. “It is truly a balancing act...to continue to fund public programming while the site endures state budget cuts,” she says. “But we are determined to continue to provide a rich experience for students, residents and tourists.”
Summing things up from the RAC, Jill McGuire adds, “While St. Louis is not the size of New York, Chicago or L.A., the quality and accessibility of our cultural assets exceed expectations of a city our size.”
« Small, Mid-Size Arts Groups Mean Business »
Charles MacKay, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, says there is plenty of room for small and mid-sized arts groups in the region—and their contribution is significant. Opera Theatre, a mid-size group, completed its 29th season in 2004. MacKay says ticket sales were up this year, and Internet sales doubled from 2003.
“We had ticket buyers from 42 states and 10 foreign countries this year,” MacKay says. “That means out-of-town tourists come here to spend money on hotels, restaurants, retail establishments and all types of local industry.”
Another mid-size group that has made a dramatic cultural and economic impression on the region is the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis. Since it was founded just four years ago, the Festival’s audiences have totaled more than 150,000, with people of all ages and races, including visitors from at least 34 states and 16 nations.
Marilyn Sprit, director of development, says the business and civic community has come through to support the Festival in many ways. “Since the Shakespeare Festival is free to everyone, we rely on the generosity of the community for our funding. The corporations of St. Louis,—large, mid-sized and small—the foundations, and individuals have been magnificent. There would be no free Shakespeare Festival without them.”
More than 57 corporate sponsors support the Shakespeare Festival with dollars and in-kind donations. In turn, the Festival helps the local economy by employing hundreds of workers. “We use numerous vendors for tents, lighting, sound equipment, construction material, generators, costume supplies. We employ carpenters, electricians, actors, directors, designers, seamstresses, technicians, and office staff. Audiences buy food and souvenirs from our concession stands. We are a small industry,” Sprit explains.
MacKay says the arts are more important to the St. Louis region than some may realize. “In terms of accessibility, quality and participation, St. Louis’s numbers are very impressive,” he says.
« The Arts Reach Out»
Another key RCGA survey finding is the vast community volunteerism, outreach and education that the participating 88 arts and cultural institutions supply.
The survey found that more than 11,000 people volunteer for the surveyed arts groups, and the average volunteer puts in 12 hours per week.
“There are so many opportunities to get involved in the arts,” MacKay notes. “At Opera Theatre, our volunteers do everything from building sets and driving around actors to serving on our board. It is a very meaningful experience.”
Like many smaller arts groups, Gitana Productions relies totally on volunteers. Gitana was started in 1996 and produces one major international performance each year. Cecilia Nadal, the group’s founder, producer and president, says volunteers are essential for the group to carry out its artistic, social and educational mission.
“We would not survive without our volunteers,” she says. “With funding being difficult to find for small arts organizations like ours, we could not pursue our mission without volunteers.” The group has about 40 to 45 regular volunteers who do everything from working backstage and preparing food, to marketing and fundraising.
| David Robertson conducts the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 8, 2002 in New York’s Carnegie Hall. |
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The effort is worth it to the region, because Gitana brings culturally-diverse international performances to the area. In 2000, Nadal traveled to China to meet with the China Ministry of Culture and as a result brought the China National Orchestra to perform at Powell Hall. This year, Gitana Productions is bringing Peru Negro from Brazil for a performance at the Webster University Music School on Oct. 30.
“We can learn about other cultures through drama and art,” Nadal says. “Our international arts presentations bring so many different kinds of people together.”
Besides bringing people together through volunteerism, the arts help educate citizens of all ages. Last year, over 46,000 classes were offered to the community. As examples, the Arts and Education Council (A&E) provides students in Warren County with an opportunity to experience the arts; a group called Young Audiences integrates the arts into elementary school curriculum; the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra’s “On Stage” program invites the public to sit on the stage for music and discussion; a class at the Science Center teaches basic genetics.
« Mid-Size Companies Step Up »
Ken Kranzberg, owner of Kranson Industries, is one of the mid-size business owners who feels a responsibility to support the arts with both dollars and time. In turn, he says, there are many benefits for business. “A strong arts community is a huge financial boon to our community, and most business owners recognize this,” Kranzberg says. “St. Louis is one of the culturally richest communities in the country, and we need to keep it that way.”
Kranzberg heads up the Regional Business Council’s social venture partnership for the arts. The venture chooses small, emerging arts groups to mentor, and is currently working with Chesterfield Arts, which brings visual and performing arts to West County. The group is working to ensure Chesterfield Arts becomes better known in the community by fundraising, marketing, and providing a two-year grant.
Kranzberg adds, “Mid-size companies are a big part of the community and we want the opportunity to get involved in our arts and cultural institutions. We can really make a difference.”
« Challenges, Challenges»
The purpose of the RCGA survey was not only to spotlight the dramatically-positive economic impact of arts and culture on the St. Louis region, but also to gain insight into critical issues facing our institutions. Without question, the survey revealed the most critical issue facing the arts is declining funding during challenging economic times.
But the survey also identified other critical issues sighted by the participating organizations:
- Maintaining current attendance levels.
- Keeping ticket prices affordable, in spite of rising operating costs.
- Attracting new and younger audiences, which speaks to the issue of making
St. Louis a destination for young “knowledge” workers.
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Still other issues involved the lack of sufficient storage space and ongoing building maintenance, in addition to finding adequate performance venues for mid-size to small groups. Additionally, many groups cited a lack of marketing and public relations budgets, along with the need for better board development and more qualified volunteers.
« Putting the Findings
to Work »
Linda Leonard, vice president of economic development for the RCGA, says the new information would be used to illustrate to the business community how the arts generate thousands of jobs and make a significant contribution to the area’s bottom line.
| The Jefferson Memorial Building, home of the Missouri Historical Society. |
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“The arts and culture of our region can be such a powerful tool,” Leonard says. “We need to leverage our amenities in ways that will be useful in business attraction and development.”
In the coming months, the RCGA Arts, Business and Culture Committee will convene to develop ways to market and boost the area’s flourishing cultural climate. Part of the effort includes keeping the survey fresh. Now that a benchmark has been established, the committee will conduct periodic updates and reviews of the data. Also, organizations that have participated in the survey have been provided with their own impact numbers for use in marketing and advocacy roles.
“It is up to all of us to continue a dialogue needed to understand and further excite the business community about the importance of the arts,” Leonard says. “We want to put these survey findings to use in as many ways as possible.”
| Saint Louis Art Museum. |
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Turley Tackles the Arts
By Karla Goldstein
Kyle Turley, the 300-pound 6-foot-5-inch star offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams, along with his wife, Stacy, recently pledged to dedicate their time and energy to benefit the St. Louis Arts and Education Council (A&E), the non-profit organization that raises funds from the private sector to support the arts and arts education activities.
 Kyle Turley, star offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams, pledged to dedicate his time and energy to benefit the St. Louis Arts and Education Council. |
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This month the Council will unveil a new public awareness campaign featuring Turley to promote its efforts to Keep Art Happening in the 16-county metropolitan area.
“We are thrilled to have Kyle Turley and the St. Louis Rams help us raise awareness about the Council,” says James F. Weidman, president of A&E.
Turley, a musician who majored in art at San Diego State, strongly believes that the arts are as important as football to the civic and cultural fabric of any community. “The arts have played a significant part in shaping the person I am today,” Turley says. “And by partnering with the Arts and Education Council, Stacy and I hope to bring a new level of awareness to the importance of all art forms ranging from music to visual arts.”
On Sept. 12, during their home game against Arizona, the Rams will honor the Arts and Education Council with an on-the-field pre-game presentation. The giant video screens will also air Turley’s new public
service announcement. On Sept. 21, from 2 to 6 p.m., the community is invited to join the Council and the Turleys for an “art bus” painting and other hands-on activities at Strauss Park in Grand Center.
For more information call (314) 535-3600 or log on to www.keeparthappening.org
Funding the Arts
By Linda F. Jarrett and Laurie Burstein
With the combination of corporate mergers over the years and a tight economy, many arts groups have had to rely less on corporate support and find new methods of fund-raising.
Charles MacKay, general director,
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. |
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Charles MacKay, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, understands this critical issue all too well. “While Opera Theatre had a very successful season, we have had to look for new and creative ways to finance the organization,” he says.
Opera Theatre is not alone. Nearly half—48 percent—of the organizations that responded to the RCGA survey identified the need to increase revenue or funding. In the face of rising operational and maintenance costs, along with a desire to maintain current ticket prices, new sources of revenue must constantly be found.
The St. Louis Zoo is a good example. Jeffrey Bonner, executive director, and chairman of the RCGA survey work group, pointed out that the Zoo remains one of only three major zoos in the country that is free. But with $10 in operational costs per visitor, it is difficult to keep it that way.
The good news is that St. Louis enjoys the advantages of a publicly-funded arts commission, plus a private Arts and Education Council. There is also a public taxing district dedicated solely to arts and cultural organizations, and innumerable private foundations and endowments that provide critical funding sources for the region’s arts and cultural institutions.
St. Louis Regional Arts Commission (RAC):
RAC was founded in 1985 and receives funding from a percentage of the hotel/motel room sales tax revenue from the City and St. Louis County, in addition to special project grants from foundations and corporations. In 2004, RAC gave more than $3.6 million in grant awards to 220 arts and cultural organizations.
| St. Louis Black Repertory Theater performs Raisin. |
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These groups range from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Dance St. Louis, and the St. Louis Black Repertory Theater, to small neighborhood-based arts groups that may perform only three concerts per year.
“At the Regional Arts Commission, we believe it is our responsibility to cultivate growth, not simply sustain what already exists,” says Jill McGuire, executive director. “Supporting emerging arts groups today—the small theater companies, the new dance troupes—provides a cultural climate for artistic growth.”
The RAC’s new headquarters building, located at 6128 Delmar Blvd., in the heart of The Loop, provides administrative office space, galleries, a volunteer program called Arts Commandos, and the Community Arts Training Institute (CATS). This program, a national model, trains artists to come together to create and implement art programs in communities—particularly those communities underserved by the arts.
St. Louis Arts and
Education Council (A&E):
Originally part of the United Way of
St. Louis, A&E split off in 1963 when United Way began focusing exclusively on health and human services organizations. At that point, nine arts organizations were left without funding.
A&E President Jim Weidman says, “People like Buster May, his wife Margie, Evelyn Newman, Edgar Monsanto Queeny, Howard Baer and others decided to fund these organizations. They started what was originally called the Spirit of St. Louis Fund, which became the Arts and Education Council.”
In its 41-year history, A&E has raised $86 million for arts and education organizations. They sponsored one of the more successful fund raisers in recent years, the Cultural Auction of many Extraordinary Lots of Treasure, better known as CAMELOT, which lasted from 1968 to 1992. In that year, A&E started the St. Louis Arts Awards.
“The focus of the Council has always been raising money from the private sector in support of arts and arts education activities in the region,” Weidman says. “Successful businesses need an interested and educated workforce. Business and the arts merge to create a living community that is financially vibrant and culturally rich.”
This year, A&E allocated $1.2 million to
74 arts and arts education organizations in a 16-county area.
Weidman says it has become more important for major arts organizations to reach out into the City and region as state budgets cut arts and education. “Unfortunately, one of the first things to go in governmental funding is the arts. That’s why it’s important to have A&E and RAC and other organizations and individuals to support the arts.”
Zoo-Museum District (ZMD):
Voters in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County approved the establishment of the Zoo-Museum Tax District in 1971. The ZMD Tax District was empowered to tax property owners to provide financial support for the Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center and the Saint Louis Art Museum. Later additions were the Missouri Historical Society and Missouri Botanical Garden.
| St. Louis Science Center's Exploradome. |
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The ZMD is governed by an eight-member board of directors. The mayor of St. Louis appoints four members; the St. Louis County executive appoints the other four. J. Patrick Dougherty, district executive director, says, “Each taxpayer pays an appropriate amount from their tax bill, then we distribute it to the cultural entity when they need it. It is designed to facilitate operations.”
David Kemper, chairman, president and CEO of Commerce Bancshares and president of Civic Progress, called the ZMD a national model. He says Members of Civic Progress are working on ways to further leverage the ZMD.
All but $200,000 of tax proceeds
is disbursed to member organizations, amounting to about $50 million annually.
The Gateway Foundation:
A private foundation established 25 years ago and funded by a St. Louis family, Gateway is a significant granting source for arts organizations in the region. Christy Fox, executive director, says, “We also initiate some of our projects, which include the purchase and installation of public art around the St. Louis metro region.”
Gateway is involved in lighting projects, such as the Gateway Arch, Civil Courts Building, the Old Courthouse, and three historical water towers.
In the late 1980s, the Foundation purchased seven sculptures by Carl Milles and installed them in the lily pond at the Missouri Botanical Garden. They also provided the recent lighting of the 1904 Flight Cage at the St. Louis Zoo.
Fox says, “We make three awards of $15,000 each to emerging artists in the region, and it culminates in an exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. We also initiated the Great Rivers Biennial Artists Award program, and are collaborating with the Contemporary to identify artists who have not received the recognition deserved for the quality of their work.”
The Whitaker foundation:
In her estate, Mae Whitaker established the Foundation in 1975, in memory of her husband, Lyndon. Originally, the Foundation’s primary purpose was to improve urban parks and medical research.
Administrator Christy Gray says the Foundation has recently discontinued funding in other areas, making 2004 the first year in which all resources have focused on arts and urban parks. “St. Louis is so fortunate in that they have an old-fashioned and well-distributed parks system, with many neighborhoods surrounding parks,” Gray says. “The Foundation’s idea is that they would encourage their use and preserve them for the future.”
Outdoor park performances are another focus of the Foundation. “Everyone of our park performances scratches the itch in both focus areas,” Gray says. “Shakespeare in Forest Park, Children’s Theater in Tower Grove, music and jazz in the Missouri Botanical Garden.
St. Louisans enjoy their parks.”
| The Greenleaf Madrigal Singers perform at the pre-show of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” for the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis. |
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