CULTIVATING THE ARTS -14

CITIES BENEFIT FROM USING
THE ARTS AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL

Ogden, Utah, a railroad town of the old west, is thriving again after pinning much of its economic rebirth on the arts.

Matthew R. Godfrey, mayor since 2000, has worked hard to strengthen Ogden's historic downtown through the arts.

"Ogden City embraces art as a vital part of our economic development and our community," said Carolyn Brierley, Community & Events Coordinator for the Ogden City Corporation.

"We were the first city in Utah to implement a Percent for Art program whereby we set aside 1% of all capital improvement projects to create public art installations.

The City Council also allocates funding every year to give arts grants to local organizations (including non-arts organizations) for arts projects or for general support."

"The Mayor implemented a `Mayor’s Awards in the Arts' program whereby he recognizes a few individuals each year for their contributions to the arts," she continued. "

We hold an annual arts town meeting to bring art organizations together to network and learn about each others’ programs. We have a Mayor-appointed arts advisory committee that oversees all of these projects.

The committee is made up of individuals representing the eight major art disciplines – music, dance, theater, design, literary arts, visual arts, folk art, and media arts."