Albuquerque has a stronger market for arts and culture than most major cities in the U.S.
In fact, it's about equal to Los Angeles, said Christopher Mead, dean of UNM's College of Fine Arts.
UNM's Bureau of Business and Economic Research published a report in August that looks at the economic impact arts and cultural industries have on Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
The bureau will present its findings at 5:30 p.m. today at the Kimo Theatre. The event is free.
The report's findings confirm the strength of Albuquerque's arts and cultural industries. It shows that those industries generate $1.2 billion in revenues, $413 million in wages and 19,500 jobs. The jobs account for 6 percent of employment in the county. Half of arts and cultural activity is funded by dollars from outside the region, creating economic growth and opportunity.
Mead said it's not so easy to recognize how strong Albuquerque's arts and cultural industries are because it's overshadowed by Santa Fe, which is well-known for its art.
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Jeffrey Mitchell, senior research scientist for the bureau, said Albuquerque's arts and culture scene is larger than most people think.
Mitchell said there's poor coordination and communication among the people doing arts and cultural work, which is a problem for making the industries more effective.
"Coordination, understanding changing markets and consistency in funding are the three areas we're going to emphasize (tonight)," he said. "And it's our hope at least that the action plan picks up on these points."
Mitchell said one of the report's focuses is markets, or cultural products, which include film and digital media.
"In terms of these cultural products, the idea is that everything is changing very rapidly," he said. "And we're trying to sort of get ahead of the curve in terms of understanding how to approach these markets."
Mead said artists need to coordinate and communicate with each other.
"We need a plan to figure out how we can strategically coordinate the different parts of the arts economy," he said. "There are different groups. The report analyzed all the players. What it found is that if you were in one area, you tended to talk to people in that area and not people in other areas."
Sherri Brueggemann, manager of Albuquerque's Public Art Program, said the report proved something she has believed all along: There's a lack of communication among people doing arts and cultural work.
"We have little subgroups of people involved in the arts, and we need to be sharing more information and collaborating more," she said. "And I think that would make a big difference in creativity that can happen in our community."
Toni Martorelli, director of Albuquerque's Cultural Services Department, said she is spreading the word about the report and working to get the public involved with creating an action plan.
"Based on what I know, I think there's interest in working together to develop an arts and cultural industries plan for Albuquerque," she said.
Mitchell said it is important for students to attend tonight's presentation.
"This will affect you as much as it will affect anybody else," he said. "This is an early chance to get involved."
