Four private foundations have joined together to form a task force to help advance arts and culture regionally, as an important component of new technology-based economic development efforts underway throughout the Valley. The 30-member task force will conduct a comparative analysis of other technology-based regional economies, to outline what the Phoenix metro area must do to compete with these regions on quality of life measures.

The Flinn Foundation, The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, the J.W. Kieckhefer Foundation, and the Margaret T. Morris Foundation have combined resources to fund the work of the task force and the regional analysis. The initiative will integrate extensive national research with community input and focused discussions, to develop strategies for the future. The initiative is a new step in a two-year effort by the four collaborating foundations to strengthen the arts and culture infrastructure in the region.

"We are pleased to collaborate with these other Arizona foundations for this important effort," said Judy Mohraz, president/chief executive officer, The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. "We've each had a commitment to supporting arts and cultural endeavors. We believe a solid plan to better integrate our cultural assets into the economic engines of this region is needed. This blueprint will take stock of what already exists, look at the national landscape for ideas on what could be, and then create a vision and strategies to make that new vision happen."

The task force, chaired by Drew Brown, president, DMB Associates, Inc., represents senior leaders from the corporate, arts, public, educational and philanthropic sectors. This group will begin meeting in September and expects to conclude its work by February 2004. In addition, the task force will solicit the perspective of arts groups, business and civic leaders through a series of public forums in the coming months.

The Battelle Memorial Institute's Technology Partnership Practice--part of the world's largest private, nonprofit organization recognized for supporting technology-based economic development--will assist the task force with its work. Battelle will conduct a national benchmarking analysis, as well as review the assets and weaknesses of regional arts and cultural organizations.

John Murphy, executive director of the Flinn Foundation said, "We learned from our work with the biosciences effort that the creative workforce that drives this new technology-based economy also demands a rich cultural atmosphere that contributes to an enhanced quality of life. We believe this initiative will help us make greater use of the cultural fabric we already have in the Valley, and create a plan to stimulate further development."

In October 2002, the four foundations published an analysis of the status of arts organizations, entitled The Arts in Arizona. This report, based on interviews with about 50 arts, business and civic leaders, concluded that Arizona's arts organizations were ill-prepared to cope with the rapid growth in the number and diversity of the population, changing leisure-time patterns, the lack of capital investment in the arts, and civic leadership unfamiliar with the importance of the arts to tourism and a technology-based economy. The analysis, prepared by AEA Consulting, New York City, suggested the foundations encourage a regional strategy.

In March 2003, the foundations continued their effort by sponsoring a symposium for 100 regional arts leaders. They brought in experts from three areas--Cleveland, Atlanta and Denver--to discuss how arts and culture are central components to their economies. This forum reinforced the need for a regional arts vision and implementation plan.

For this new research effort, arts and cultural resources are being defined as: non-profit visual, literary and performing arts organizations; science and historical museums; professional zoological and botanical organizations; regional and community arts centers; and, festivals and performances.

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More information:

Task force roster

The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust

"Leaders push arts for economy," Arizona Republic, 6/19/03

"Group to promote Valley arts, culture," East Valley Tribune, 6/19/03

"Artistic Endeavors," Arizona Republic, 6/28/2003