Looking Ahead in 2024
ELIZABETH ROUSE | SMART CITY MEMPHIS
I have entered 2024 with an energy that I honestly have not felt in years.
Our new Mayor Paul Young has proclaimed Thriving Arts & Culture as one of his administration’s primary pillars.
Believing in the power of our city’s culture as a tool to move Memphis forward and put Memphis on the map is one thing. Formally recognizing its value on an administrative level is another. This proclamation is a huge step forward for our local arts industry, one that just revealed its nonprofit annual economic impact of $192.9 million. Having been at the table with arts leaders around Tennessee and across the nation, the lack of Arts & Culture representation in City Hall has not gone unnoticed. Simply put, it has been a barrier to funding and attention.
The City pillar of Thriving Arts & Culture, backed up by actionable strategies that are being developed as we speak, reflects a holistic response that Memphis is embracing in this new year versus a segmented one. As we all know, education, transportation, public safety, and neighborhood development are inextricably and systemically linked. Mayor Young’s formalization is a huge testament to the fact that Memphis and Memphians are turning to the arts as both a solution and pathway to solutions.
From education, to engagement, to exposure, to access, we, ARTSmemphis, are about working behind the scenes to ensure these tools are supported, achieved, and sustained. With potential policy changes to enable more access, and more opportunities unlocked to secure dollars for Memphis’ arts and culture sector, I look forward to witnessing what greater awareness of the arts can do for our community. It can open up a whole new world of meaning for Memphians. It’s energizing knowing that their 2024 will be enriched directly because of arts experiences in their backyards that they didn’t even know existed!
The world has always been watching Memphis. We have culturally and creatively shaped genres, movements, and history. Now, the world is really watching Memphis as we stand at this critical juncture of leadership and vision. It is time we acknowledge to ourselves and the rest of the world exactly who we are. We are figuratively and literally setting the stage for our future.
Arts and culture’s integration into other areas of impact is essential. This year, especially, may we see it realized in ways we never thought possible.