Artlink Phoenix, an organization that supports local artists in downtown Phoenix, will expand its 25th anniversary of Art Detour to be larger than ever with the help of a grant by the city of Phoenix’s Office of Arts and Culture.
In November, a total of $525,346 went to support 32 nonprofit organizations that promote arts and culture downtown, according to a press release from the city.
Organizations including Artlink, Valley Youth Theatre, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Phoenix Symphony and the Arizona Science Center received grants of various amounts, said Dwight Walth, director of grant services and community initiatives at the Office of Arts and Culture.
The Office of Arts and Culture has supported nonprofit arts organizations through grants since 1985, Walth said.
In order to receive a grant, nonprofit organizations must apply for financial aid for operating support, festival activity or arts education. The money comes from general-purpose funds from Phoenix through tax dollars allotted to support arts and cultural services, Walth said.
Grants are used to support nonprofit organizations because “the arts have a significant economic impact and are a significant economic driver for downtown,” Walth said.
Through a 2012 economic impact study published by Americans for the Arts, Walth said that the combined spending of arts organizations and individuals who attend events produce a $301 million economic impact.
The study also found that these organizations supported approximately 9,600 jobs.
“Those are jobs in arts organizations, but they are also jobs in restaurants and retail stores because audience members are going out to eat and buying food and clothing and transportation,” Walth said.
In the grant selection process, small initiatives in need of funding are not overlooked. Artlink, a nonprofit that has been supporting artists and local art for 24 years, received a $2,000 festival grant.
Mike Oleskow, president of Artlink, said the money will be used for the 25th celebration of Art Detour, an event on the first weekend in March.
“We’re doing a historical retrospective, so it’s given us some additional funds to do some videotaping of some of the founders of the original Artlink,” Oleskow said.
Local artist and recent Artlink board member Hugo Medina said the arts are very important to a community. Artlink is “a venue for artists to connect with people outside of their normal community,” he said.
“As an artist, I think it helped me promote my shows,” Medina said.
Medina said thanks to Artlink, the downtown community has First Fridays, Third Fridays and a striving art team in downtown Phoenix.
“I think everyone does recognize the necessity of art in our lives,” Oleskow said.
Contact the reporter at erica.lang@asu.edu
