Meow Wolf AUG/SEPT 2021 | 18 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA By Neil Giuliano , president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership, Inc. Resilient communities invest in art THE CREATIVE ECONOMY COMMUNITY VOICE { issues that matter } t he arts are “the soul” of a community. And it’s true: The most vibrant, attractive and resilient communities invest in art assets to inspire and intrigue the intellect and hearts of their citizens and visitors. Greater Phoenix Leadership, Inc. (GPL) believes in this intrinsic value of robust arts and culture investments. What is also true is that the arts and culture sector offers much more to our community than intrinsic value, more than the strengthening of our heart and soul as a region. The sector contributes thousands of jobs, payroll and supply chain needs that are embedded deeply in the economy and lifestyle of Arizona. As we have seen across multiple sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has had quite an impact; the bottom fell out of the consumer market for in-person arts, culture and entertainment activities like never before. Equal status to the pre-COVID market, and certainly market-share among the many outstanding arts and culture organizations, genres and programs offered within the sector, is a work in progress as we navigate a new normal within society for at least a while longer. And yet, there are strong efforts underway and a solid foundation to rebuild upon that offer hope. Musical Instrument Museum

FRONTDOORS MEDIA | 19 | AUG/SEPT 2021 Before the pandemic, five local music venues routinely hosted a seating capacity of more than 15,000 for performances. Similarly, Greater Phoenix holds more than 10 music festivals in a typical year. The Valley is also home to the world’s largest musical instrument museum — the aptly titled Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). Recently, GRAMMY-winning American folk singer and Arizona native Dom Flemons performed at MIM. The arts and music scene have been cultural fixtures in most cities. Yelp and Vivid Seats recognized the Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix as one of the Top 50 small music venues in the U.S. With roughly 320 venues of all varieties and sizes, our region is the epicenter for theaters, galleries and museums in Arizona. These points of pride attract visitors from both near and far and promote our dynamic arts and culture scene to locals as well. Tourism remains integral to the Greater Phoenix economy — including learning about and celebrating the rich traditions of Native Americans. “Arizona has 22 federally recognized tribes, with almost 44,000 indigenous people living in the Phoenix area,” according to Phoenix.org. A local favorite, Heard Museum, holds the largest kachina doll collection in the nation. While several projects have been scheduled for Roosevelt Row Arts District, the future may become even more imaginative since Meow Wolf announced its plans to bring a permanent exhibit to our region. We also know that our arts and cultural amenities play an increasingly valuable role in economic development and business attraction and retention. As the fastest-growing county in the country for several years now, we must ensure the arts and culture sector stays strong. Arts and culture employment in Arizona will rebound as our overall economy does and is one of the leading indicators Musical Instrument Museum Crescent Ballroom