by Peter B. Fleischer
I spent most of a recent Thursday in the lovingly and meticulously refurbished Stanley Theatre in Downtown Utica, participating in the Central New York Cultural Blueprint -- an event sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts. The event focused on the role of cultural resources and the arts in community and economic development. Its sponsors list more than 70 arts institutions in the Central New York region. The day concluded with a tour of the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute which is definitely worth a visit -- it's a real gem.
The premise of the Cultural Blueprint session, just one of several that NYSCA is sponsoring around the state, is to highlight the important dynamic and enduring links between Arts and Culture and the civic life and businesses of a region. The success of each help to drive the success of the others, and they in turn can often drive a virtuous cycle. Area universities and colleges sequence into this process as well, as students from out of the region perform or assist the arts, attend cultural activities, and some time even stay in the area to pursue their dreams.
Keeping young people (let's say, the 20-34 year olds) in Upstate New York (and on Long Island, too) is a major challenge. The continuing loss of this age group Upstate potentially poses a severe threat to the area's eventual recovery. Upstate is already older, on average, than many places, and new blood is needed. A very promising source of new blood is among the hundreds of thousands of students who attend Upstate schools. The arts, an area where Upstate excels, may be one way to help them put down roots. The Cultural Blueprint effort strongly suggests this view.
This is just one reason among many that make me wonder, when considering the economic circumstances of Upstate, if the laws of supply and demand have been somehow suspended in many ways. Consider that its major cities all have well-educated work forces, strong educational and medical institutions, considerable infrastructural capacity, access to relatively un-congested highways and freight rail, ample fresh water, solid and historic architecture, relatively inexpensive land and even housing very near to city centers. Most major cities also have passenger rail access. And all have world-class cultural amenities.
It is hard not to wonder when someone, somewhere -- maybe Warren Buffet, maybe the Province of Ontario, maybe the venture capitalists, maybe, just maybe Albany or New York City, or maybe and more likely the people of Upstate themselves -- will realize what a bargain the huge expanse of Upstate New York really is! Assets of the sort I've mentioned have real value, and it's mystifying that they have yet to be capitalized or sufficiently appreciated.
As the day at the Stanley went on, the Blueprint and its many participants focused on the need for community and cultural organizations in Central New York to better link with each other to build a more interconnected community -- a place where people from across the region have a better understanding of what their neighbors and neighborhoods have to offer, and a greater appreciation of the assets here already. And that is a blueprint that extends far beyond the Stanley.
