ACE
Alliance for the Creative Economy targets driving growth in the creative sector
Proctors is active in a variety of ACE-inspired initiatives to expand regional economy
Creative industries are one of the most important sectors of the greater Capital Region’s economy, with nearly 24,000 residents employed, earning a collective $800 million annually. To that end, Proctors has been active in a regional collaborative effort – the Upstate Alliance for a Creative Economy (ACE) – to strengthen the creative sector in an effort to drive business development, job growth and tourism.
In a 2014 ACE report, “Leveraging Regional Assets for A Vibrant Future,” research results found the greater Capital Region has the second-highest concentration of creative jobs in the United States among metropolitan regions of similar size. A wide range of strategies were targeted to facilitate further growth among the following: youth participation in the arts; support systems for arts organizations and freelancers; markets for local creative products; new places to exhibit art; and the attraction of new business in a range of arts and technology businesses; among many others.
The eight-county initiative boils down to two principles: Constructing an enabling environment to facilitate growth and implementing a portfolio of actionable steps. Proctors has been involved in a variety of ways big and small in this mission, participating in the development in a regional film commission, co-organizing a regional Themed Entertainment Association conference on fostering regional creativity, and hosting an installation weekend for the Breathing Lights public art project, among many other activities.
“We view the Capital Region as largely suburb, surrounded by cities,” Proctors CEO Philip Morris said in a Oct. 2015 talk sponsored by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council in Glens Falls, as reported in The Saratogian. “Our role as a cultural institution for the region is to cross those lines. We think a strong cultural hub will help define the Capital Region.”
Links:
www.upstatecreative.org
www.facebook.com/upstatecreative