Economic Impact of the Arts

As part of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce’s Community Leadership series, I first spoke on the art in the La Crosse, WI community and how it inspires all in the work they do. I showed the economic impact of having arts in the community.

I then lead the group through some small-group exercises by challenging area business professionals to build a replica of a theater district using the assets presented on their sheet. Each group, unknowingly, was given varying degrees of printed topography (desert, lakes, etc.) and also office supplies (stickers, crayons, markers, etc.). The resulting creations were evaluated and the use of creativity to develop a robust theater was noted by the group.