For Christmas I received a book titled “The Warhol Economy” from a friend who knew how dear I would find it. It is an argument for art, music and fashion being essential to urban development.
I couldn’t have received the book at a more appropriate time. With a new year upon us, a new Urban Jax layout and an unspoken call for Jacksonville artists and musicians to create, this book ascertains a feeling I’ve had for some time: Jacksonville won’t reach its potential as the ‘Bold New City of the South’ until it takes advantage of the creative culture available.
Not long ago, a comment was posted that doubted UJ’s commitment to providing the public with urban development news, claiming the blog had essentially turned into an “art and music/what’s happening” Web site. While the site has become an outlet to showcase local artists and musicians, as well as the venues that house them, it has done so in an effort to draw a correlation between economic growth and cultural involvement. To say that the role of art and culture is an insignificant part of urban, regional or national economy is to take it as more fun and less business.
The best case for the influence of art and culture on economy is New York City. For a long time it was seen as a center of finance and investment. The city’s economy evolved from industrial production to the FIRE industries (finance, insurance and real estate.) Yet, for the better part of the twentieth century, New York City has been considered the world’s authority on art and culture.
New York City in the 1910′s was a writer’s city because in the 1850′s the city had established itself as a leading center of publishing. Then, from the 1940′s to the 1970′s, New York City dominated the story of art. In the 1950′s abstract expressionism exploded onto the scene and an important point to note is that the art community both survived and flourished because of the formal and informal structures available to them within the city – structures that proved pivotal in cementing New York as a global center of art and culture. New York became home to the bohemian scene, beat writers, new wave and folk music, hip-hop dj’s and fashion designers.
Jacksonville already has the structures and the means necessary to develop and sustain an emerging cultural scene, but more important is developing the attitude toward art and culture needed to make it successful. Dozens of cafes, galleries and nightclubs scattered throughout downtown Jacksonville and its surrounding areas welcome artists and provide a haven for developing and displaying local talent.
According to Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Lucas, “Great cities draw people despite all of the drawbacks of living in a densely packed, noisy, expansive metropolis, because of human beings’ desire to be around each other. It is the inherent social nature of people – and of creativity – that makes city life so important to art and culture – and art and culture so important to city life.”
Why should Jacksonville’s creativity, culture and marketplace be separate entities? They can’t be. Director Tony Silver best explains this idea, “There are many types of commodification. Is it a commodity? Is it art? Is it from the streets? What is it? You can’t untangle this stuff – you can’t escape it. It is a very complex subject. Hip-hop is both a commercial juggernaut but also a chance for kids all over the world to invent their own form. Both things can coexist.”
My argument is simply this: do not discard the cultural activities taking place in Jacksonville right now. They are what will move the city along economically and draw people to an area where they can create and coexist together. The fusion of creativity is ubiquitous and increasingly generates value across social and economic realms.
As Ingrid Sischy remarked of New York City, “We’re always being told, ‘Oh, you can’t live here’ [but] you always couldn’t live here [when I first came to New York.] I lived in half a room. I know we’re being told it’s being run by money and power, but go to a gallery opening run by two 21-year-olds and feel the vibrancy.”
