Guest column: Thank you for putting Memphis’ artists at the forefront
Daily Memphian | Elizabeth Rouse, Guest Columnist
After greeting a dancer, a museum curator, a donor and a grantee executive director with her board chair, I paused and turned to take in the moment.
Our ArtsMemphis 60th-anniversary celebration at The Kent was one hour underway. Aerial artists were pouring champagne into flutes from the air. An interactive “paint by number” station welcomed intersecting strokes of a 70-something philanthropist and up-and-coming teen musician. A pop-up opera “sing-off” and jookin’ “dance-off” performance was about to surprise the crowd.
The room embodied the artistic energy of our time — vibrant, diverse, dynamic and unexpected. It reminded me exactly why we are here and where we are going as a city.
A recent national study that we, ArtsMemphis, facilitated locally concluded that, last year alone, the Memphis and Shelby County nonprofit arts sector generated $193 million in economic activity, $38 million in tax revenue and $72 million in event-related spending.
The arts support thousands of jobs in our community — 3,775 and counting. But beyond that, the arts creates a sense of place that is vitally important to recruiting and retaining talent and investment to Memphis.
As Toonky Berry, a curator of our ArtsWeek event calendar, shared, “Everyone wins when you support an artist.”
I couldn’t agree with Toonky more. Support an artist by showing up, by giving, by recognizing the arts’ value, and by remembering your critical role.
Having granted $94 million over our 60 years, it has been ArtsMemphis’ mission since 1963 to support and amplify the creativity in our community with key emphasis on sustainability, accessibility, and engagement.
Thank you, Memphis, for continuing to put Memphis’ artists at the forefront 60 years later. Cheers to what’s ahead.
ArtsWeek is an annual celebration of the arts in Memphis and Shelby County, taking place now until Dec. 10. Learn more about the dozens of arts experiences and events happening now here.