Why Philanthropy Should Steam Ahead and Support the Creative Economy
Submitted by Steve on June 4, 2013
Claudia Jacobs Associate Director, Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University writes for Huffington Post:
If we are to actively enrich our communities, arts should not be a stepchild of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). In New England alone, over 53,000 people are employed in the “creative economy” and that sector, if it were considered in the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), which it is not, would rank just below the data and information sector and just ahead of the truck transportation sector, according to 2009 statistics compiled by the New England Foundation for the Arts.
The 18,026 New England arts organizations supply the economy with nearly $3.7 billion so why does STEM, an acronym that excludes the arts, seem to be on the tip of everyone's tongue? Yes, there are major reasons why the U.S. needs to be focused on producing adults with skills in these areas, but why not include the arts and go from STEM to STEAM?