Commentary: Profit Statement

The great cultural organizations of our city are all nonprofits. But they are very much part of the business ecology of the city and make immense contributions to our community, both in direct financial terms and also by helping to create the kind of city that people want to live and work in.

The 1998 opening of Benaroya Hall, which is owned by the city of Seattle and operated by the Seattle Symphony, marked a turning point in the development of the downtown business core. The numbers are startling: Taxable retail sales within a five-minute walk of Benaroya Hall increased from $270.5 million in 1995 to $766.6 million in 2008, according to the Department of Revenue. Since its opening in 1998, more than $1 billion in development investment (measured by construction costs) has followed into areas within a five-minute walk of Benaroya Hall, based on data compiled by the Downtown Seattle Association. In 1997, before Benaroya Halls opening, downtown Seattle had 16,000 housing units. Today, there are nearly 30,000.

According to ArtsFunds 2009 economic impact study, Together, the activity of nonprofit arts organizations and their patrons in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties alone generates close to $2 billion in the central Puget Sounds economy, creating 32,520 jobs, $882 million in labor income and $83 million in taxes.
Despite lingering perceptions that the performing arts are only for a wealthy few, most arts events have accessibly priced tickets that cost no more than a movie. And we work hard for our communities: Last year, the Seattle Symphonys education and community programs reached more than 100,000 people including more than 6,000 students who came to Benaroya Hall to perform live with the orchestra and engaged across social boundaries to the diverse communities that make the Seattle region home.

All arts organizations in Seattle, large and small, passionately believe that everyone deserves access to great art. And we are all committed to playing an active role in keeping our community healthy, vibrant and prosperous.

As arts education continues to diminish in our schools, as culture has less and less presence on TV, as home entertainment gets ever richer in its choices, we have to redouble our efforts to win the next generation of concertgoers. Last June, Sir Mix-a-Lot performed on stage with the Seattle Symphony and the resulting video earned more than 2 million views on YouTube within days, quickly becoming one of the most viewed orchestral videos of all time. In the past few years, weve commissioned new works of music paying tribute to Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Quincy Jones. Our music director, Ludovic Morlot, has jammed on stage with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. Weve launched a Friday night series at which the orchestra plays in street clothes and the atmosphere is anything but traditional. We play late night concerts in the Grand Lobby at Benaroya Hall, where you can drink cocktails and walk around as the music is played. Weve backed up Brandi Carlile for nine sold-out shows. These activities get people talking, and theyve earned us a buzz that were proud of for doing things the Seattle way.

We also need to find a new generation of community leaders who will be willing to commit their time and treasure to our great cultural institutions. This town would be immeasurably poorer had it not benefited from the vision and commitment of Jack Benaroya, Sam Rubinstein, Bagley Wright, Buster Alvord, Herman Sarkowsky and so many others. Seattle helped these extraordinary individuals be successful, and they made it their business to create the city they wanted to live in.

Great music will always lie at the core of our mission, but today our place in the world is more complex. We support economic growth, we support the citys identity as a thriving metropolis, we provide inspiration to the disadvantaged and we fill the gaps in school arts provision. But theres more work to be done to secure our vibrant arts community for the next generation, and there are huge opportunities for Seattles new leaders in technology and other new industries to help refashion Seattles burgeoning cultural sector for the next generation, just as earlier generations did.

Simon Woods is executive director of the Seattle Symphony.