Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon, great golf resorts and a thriving arts community.

Believe it. Arizona still has all of its great Old West charm in our rural, urban and suburban areas. The “Trappings of the American West” Exhibition in Flagstaff was recognized last year as one of the top 100 art and cultural events in the U.S. by the National Office of Tourism.

The event features crafts of the working cowboy, poetry, lectures and artist demonstrations. The event represents a partnership among the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, Flagstaff Public Schools, Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau, the United Way and several northern Arizona arts organizations.

However, this is also the New West, with cultural events including ballet, opera, theater and great music. Each September, more than 6,000 jazz lovers head for the red rock landscape of Sedona Cultural Park to hear great music in a spectacular natural setting at the “Sedona Jazz on the Rocks” Benefit Festival.

Adding $3 million to the state’s economy each year, Sedona Jazz on the Rocks attracts 28 per cent of its audience from other states, countries and continents. For four days these tourists stay in Sedona hotels, eat at Sedona restaurants and then spread the wealth to other Arizona destinations.

The impact of “Trappings of the American West” and “Sedona Jazz on the Rocks” on Arizona’s tourism and economy is not unusual.

In 2000, more than 1.2 million tourists attended arts events in the Valley, contributing $64.4 million to Maricopa County’s economy, according to a Valley study based on an input/output model by economists at the Georgia Institute of Technology. These tourists spend three times more than residents for arts and cultural events.

The arts impact on the economy is not limited to tourism alone. According to Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, “In addition to the sense of pride and community that arts bring to a region, there is also significant economic impact. These programs make us a more attractive business location because companies want to be where employees want to live.”

A University of Arizona study of seven Tucson arts organizations found that every dollar of government spending on the arts generated $1.79 in tax revenue. By any economist’s standards, this is a sound return on an investment.

Duff C. Hearon of the Greater Tucson Economic Council concurs, “To attract and keep top employees, business decision-makers consider a community’s cultural base to be as important as any aspect of the business environment.”

As Arizona celebrates the arrival of T-Gen and its scientists, employees and their families, the state is paying close attention to its ability to attract workers. These workers expect an authentic, high quality and diverse arts community and educational base within which to rear their children.

In this month’s bizAZ, readers are treated to an advertisement for the City of Phoenix’s Technology City Program featuring scientists clad in safety goggles and clean suits screened behind a photo of dancers from Ballet Arizona in all of their graceful glory. A caption reads, “…We’re a vibrant, thriving metropolis where the arts and sciences flourish in harmony.” —

Lisle Soukup, is interim director of Arizonans for Cultural Development, statewide advocates for the arts. To view the economic impact studies cited in this article, or for more information, go to www.azcd.org or call (602) 253-6535.