Art festivals mean big business

COURTESY PHOTO Last year's ArtFest Fort Myers drew nearly 50,000 people to the downtown Fort Myers event. When Sharon McAllister arrived in Fort Myers nearly two decades ago, she discovered a cultural wasteland.

"There was nothing to do here (involving the arts)," Ms. McAllister recalled recently. "If you wanted anything like that you had to go to Naples. So I did. Now, I never go to Naples for stuff like that."

Ms. McAllister, director of Fort Myers' highly successful ArtFest, which will be held on Feb. 7 and 8, said the advances she has seen in the artistic climate since her arrival have been dramatic and far reaching. These advances resonate far beyond the artistic community and bring value that is sometimes underappreciated or unacknowledged. The economic impacts of large cultural events are more subtle — and less expensive to the taxpayer - than, say, building a new Spring Training home for the Red Sox. But the benefits of major cultural productions are undeniable.

"People and companies that are thinking about relocating to an area are aware of what goes on in a community culturally," Ms. McAllister said. "We know that cultural tourism is greater than or competitive with sports tourism in most communities. And there is also solid evidence that children who are exposed to and participate in arts programs do better academically across the board."

MCALLISTER It is the season of large art festivals in Southwest Florida and thus an appropriate time to evaluate their impact and value. From Fort Myers to Cape Coral to Naples to Bonita Springs, artists and their patrons are turning out in numbers that are stunning in a sluggish economy. The publicity and visibility that these arts festivals afford the area cannot be understated. As analysts are quick to point out, any advantage a region can boast is magnified during a recession.

ArtFest is a good example. The event is expected to draw nearly 60,000 people to downtown Fort Myers. This generates some much-needed business for local restaurants and shops and salestax receipts will rise. Hotels, according to Ms. McAllister, will record about $75,000 in additional bookings for the events.

PHOTO HOWARD ALAN EVENTS The Downtown Naples New Year's weekend Art Fair. The Naples Natonal Art Fesival, Feb. 21 and 22, is nationally aclaimed. But of even greater and longer-lasting benefit, said Ms. McAllister and others involved in arts festivals in the area, is the national attention these events prompt.

In Naples, Joel Kessler, executive director of the Naples Art Association at The von Liebig Art Center, agreed with Ms. McAllister's assessment about the broad importance of the arts and provided a personal experience to reinforce the point.

Nine years ago, Mr. Kessler said he was living in Houston when he was offered an opportunity to run Naples Illustrated magazine.

"I would not have moved to Naples had it not been for what was here in the way of the arts," he said. "I don't think I could have lived here — or anywhere else for that matter — without a strong artistic community. It was a decisive factor in my decision."

The Naples National Art Festival, now in its 30th year, will be held Feb. 21 and 22 in Cambier Park and along 8th Street South. It has garnered national publicity and acclaim, and has enhanced Naples' reputation as a serious arts center. An arts publication ranks the event as the Fifth Best Art Festival in America.

"There is no doubt that the National Art Festival and our other artistic assets have made Naples an even more attractive location, both for tourists and for businesses," said Michael V. Reagen, president and CEO of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce. "It presents a complete picture of who we are and what we offer and goes beyond the money people spend during the event itself. It has a long-lasting effect. It sends the message that there is more than beautiful weather and beaches here."

"Naples is a wonderful place with a great arts infrastructure," Tom Villani, author of "The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining," told USA Today. Mr. Villani ranked Naples as one of his "10 great places for big-city art, small-town feel."

Cultural tourists are a highly prized segment of the travel industry. They are more affluent, better educated and delightfully willing to part with their cash.

"There is significant research that shows the cultural tourist spends 40 percent more and has a hotel stay that is 60 percent longer," said Elaine Hamilton, executive director of the United Arts Council of Collier County.

While Fort Myers cannot match Naples' national reputation, the city does get a decided boost from ArtFest.

"There is no doubt that (ArtFest) increases our city's prestige," said Don Paight, executive director of Fort Meyers Redevelopment Agency. "ArtFest and other cultural activities lend a certain sophistication to the community."

Mr. Paight also said that the arts are critical in the "redevelopment of older cities" in numerous ways.

"Artists are pioneers in leading the movement back into downtown areas," he explained. "It is often artists who are the first to move into lofts. They are more likely to notice and appreciate intricate details of buildings — more so than the average person."

The Bonita Springs National Art Festival, which encompasses two festivals, one in January and another in March, has been going strong for 10 years and has proved that the size of the community is no impediment when it comes to producing a quality arts event. It is consistently placed among the top 10 festivals in the country and has been ranked as high as number four. The Bonita Springs National Arts Festival has put the town on the national cultural map. Organizer Barry Witt said that for this year's festival, artists from 46 states and three foreign countries sought admission through the jury process.

"We have an upscale community that has focused on an upscale festival," Mr. Witt said.

Mr. Witt said he has lived in Bonita Springs since 1987, and 20 years ago the prospect of a nationally acclaimed arts festival that draws total crowds of about 60,000 people would have seemed absurd.

"Arts festival?" he said. "There wasn't even a Publix here then."

The Cape Coral Art Festival, held this month, attracted an estimated 80,000 people. Mike Quaintance, president of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, said that in addition to providing residents and visitors with an entertaining weekend, the event "gives character to the community."

"It is something that encourages and also highlights the cultural diversity here," he said.

The proliferation of arts festivals seems to beg this question: Are there too many? And will they ultimately kill off each other?

"You're opening a can of worms with that question," said Ms. Hamilton of the United Arts Council of Collier County. "At times it seems like everybody is getting into the festival business. Really, only a few are very successful."

"The competition is more than competitive," said Ms. McAllister, who runs ArtFest. Those festivals without strong foundations simply will not survive, she added. But she predicted that the established, well-structured events will continue to thrive.

"I believe (the competition) makes us all better," she said. "It makes us all sharper. It's not necessarily bad."

In the face of the grim, unrelenting flow of bad news from the economic front, Ms. McAllister pointed out that arts festivals serve another important purpose.

"It helps keep us much happier while we're wondering if our 401(k) went up or down," she said.

ART FESTIVALS COMING UP

>>ArtFest Fort Myers Feb. 7-8, Downtown Fort Myers www.artfestfortmyers.com

>>Coconut Point Art Festival Howard Alan Events Feb. 14-15, Coconut Point www.artfestival.com

>>Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club 26th Annual Arts and Crafts Fair Feb. 14-15, Sanibel Community House www.sanibelrotary.org

>>Naples National Art Festival The Naples Art Association Feb. 21-22, Cambier Park www.naplesart.org

>>Naples Masters Art Festival Boulderbrook Productions March 7-8, The Collection at Vanderbilt www.boulderbrook.net

>>Bonita Springs National Art Festival The Art League of Bonita Springs March 14-15, The Promenade www.artinusa.com