Advocacy

Creative Economy

With support from the Indiana Arts Commission, Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. commissioned the Community Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne to conduct a review of the Creative Economy for the state of Indiana.

The Creative Economy is defined by the New England Creative Economy Framework as a range of “occupations and industries that focus on the production and distribution of cultural goods, services and intellectual property.” This review provides a baseline profile of Creative Industries and Creative Occupations, segmented for the state, by region and by county.

The overall objective of this project is to gather and establish a baseline profile for Indiana’s Creative Economy to support the activities of the Indiana Arts Commission and its stakeholders as they seek to:

  • Communicate the impact of the Creative Economy to decision makers, policy makers, academics, and practitioners;
  • Identify, classify and measure the contributions of artists and “creatives” to Indiana’s workforce;
  • Strengthen communities across the state of Indiana by measuring and communicating the impact of the Creative Economy at state, regional and county levels; and
  • Initiate a best practice of utilizing data to benchmark the Creative Economy, develop performance metrics, and initiate discussion about long-term strategies that align with broader goals for economic development and quality of life.