Comment 37170

By Wake up Hammyland (anonymous) | Posted January 20, 2010 at 13:37:45

Arts and culture are an essential component of a thriving and sustainable
city. I'm sure the business community can see value in it because it strategically connects cultural development to economic development. If you actually read the feasability study for the Catalyst Project, you would see the value in this ambitious endevour. It's estimated there are about 3,000 businesses and organizations in the creative sector here in Hamilton, and the industry is pegged to generate $260 million a year. It appears Economic Development committee Chairperson Councillor Lloyd Ferguson will be a major hurdle as he is very well known to NOT support the arts here in Hamilton. Today, if you were a city that USED to make things, manufacture things, and no longer does... and you do NOT invest heavily in the creative arts sector, you are a dead city. There are countless cities that know this -- and countless cities that have revived themselves from post industrial collapse. Glasgow Scotland, Pittsburgh, Austin Tex, Halifax, Portland, the list really goes on and on... Creative arts in these regions have proven to help sculpt their local economy for the 21st century.

In order for the true creative capacity of our City and region to be realized, a dedicated, stable funding mechanism for local arts and culture and arts education
must be created. Additionally, this pursuit of dedicated funding is only possible with the continued diligence, coordination, and organization of a historically fragmented arts and culture community.

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