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Creative Economy: The Arts Industry in North Carolina
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The arts are essential to a diversified and innovative 21st century economy. In North Carolina the arts provide jobs, attract visitors, create products, influence consumer spending, and build community vitality. Creative workers, creative enterprises and creative communities are, collectively, big business in North Carolina. The N.C. Arts Council, through innovative research by Regional Technology Strategies, first documented the impact of the arts as a significant industry in North Carolina in 2007. "The Creative Economy: The Arts Industry in North Carolina" (pdf) summarizes the contributions of our rich arts heritage to our economy and quality of life. A highlight of the report included defining the "creative economy" in North Carolina. A broad and inclusive panel of state and national experts convened in 2005, at the request of the N.C. Arts Council, to determine unique N.C. creative economy strengths that could be measured through available data. (The panel members included researchers from the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Rural Center, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources and the experts who defined New England's creative economy, among others.) Key industries in the state's creative sector include design manufacturing, artists, design services, other creative services, retail, information and entertainment, public sector and education, publishing and printing. The Creative Economy in North Carolina touches every community in the state. Creativity provides a competitive advantage globally. You can't outsource craft and design, such as the work of Seagrove area potters, visual and textile arts showcased in Asheville galleries or original music in the Triangle. 
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