Art X Detroit festival helps out Detroit businesses

[begingri]

BY JOHN GALLAGHER

DETROIT FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER


The Art X Detroit festival this month did a lot for the more than three dozen local artists who participated and for the art lovers who attended the multi-day events. But it also sparked a few benefits for shop owner Claire Nelson.

"I don't have hard numbers to share, but yes, we had more visitors during Art X Detroit," Nelson, owner of the Bureau of Urban Living home accessories boutique in Detroit's Midtown district, said last week.

"Cultural events are really vital for local smallbusinesses," she added. "Any events that celebrate local art, architecture, cuisine, design, fashion, film, are good for business. We would love to see more."

Spin-off benefits for local retailers are just one way that the arts and creative community helps produce jobs and tax base for cities like Detroit. Exact numbers are difficult to come by, since it's hard to say whether a hotel or restaurant patron is visiting an art show or something else entirely. But Laura Trudeau, senior program director of the Troy-based Kresge Foundation, which sponsored the Art X festival, said the economic boost is real.

"The arts represent something that we already have to build upon. It doesn't need to be created; all it needs is to be lifted up and strengthened," she said.


Continued at: http://www.freep.com/article/20110424/BUSINESS06/104240429/Art-X-Detroit-festival-helps-out-Detroit-businesses?odyssey=nav|head

[English]

Go Claire!

Wouldn't it be nice to have more street festivals in Midtown during the summer months? It seems that the focus is down by the river during warm weather.

I'd also love to see more early autumn street fairs through mid-October. Usually that's really great weather around these parts, and you have the extra boost of the start of term at WSU and CCS. Even if we can't ever have the huge corporate sponsored affairs like the Detroit Festival of the Arts any more, it would be great to expand on what we do have going for us. The Dally is one of my favorite Detroit events [[anywhere, period!), but it'd be great to have different areas highlighted during different weekends.

[JohnnyFreddy]

Go Claire!

Wouldn't it be nice to have more street festivals in Midtown during the summer months? It seems that the focus is down by the river during warm weather.

I'd also love to see more early autumn street fairs through mid-October. Usually that's really great weather around these parts, and you have the extra boost of the start of term at WSU and CCS. Even if we can't ever have the huge corporate sponsored affairs like the Detroit Festival of the Arts any more, it would be great to expand on what we do have going for us. The Dally is one of my favorite Detroit events [[anywhere, period!), but it'd be great to have different areas highlighted during different weekends.

There used to be a GREAT street fair called 'The Detroit Festival Of The Arts"..
...as mentioned by English. But some brilliant thinkers and decision makers
decided it was to be no more. THAT was a very cool, inspiring, welcoming,
student, family, artist, University, local, regional, urban, suburban.....event!!!
The BEST festival in the city by far. What happened? I guess the same thing
that happened to 'Taste Fest'...and maybe 'The Positively Fourth Street Fair'.
Some SELECT people just ....decided...it was time to end these events, for
whatever reasons they deemed important...in their minds.
Many, many people worked very hard, and very inspired, to put on these festivals,
only to be shut-down and moved on...now there's not many left.
The 'Dally in the Alley' has persisted, despite HEAVY city interference and city
money grubbing, through idiotic permit levys and insurance requirements.
The 'Positively Fourth Street Fair' was attacked by the State, and/or entitled
complacency....so is no-more [[the REAL fair, not the UN-FAIR).
It just seems, unless an event is SUPER SPONSERED by egotistical powerofficials
or individuals with personal agendas...they just don't survive in our current climate.
So bring back the GOOD street fairs, FOR and BY the people, and let us
once again have fun in Detroit, and especially the Mid/UpTown areas, that kept
this city COOL...even when the Governor, and others, were trying their best to
beat us down whilst touting their brand of controlled cool.
AND....AND....let us not forget our latest fun Governor.
"The whole Movie Industry thing, was just a stupid idea."
No residual cool there huh...
No trickle down money to be made there huh...
No local business boost, such as Hotels, Restaurants, catering, celebrity band
performances, car services, etc.....not to mention whatever tax money WAS being
collected from this industry. I mean, just because the industry was given very
sizable incentive tax breaks, doesn't mean our state wasn't receiving ANY money
from these enterprises. And how COOL was it to have all the Movie Stars in and
around our State and cities....It was VERY COOL nerd boy!!!!
The Fight WILL go on...no matter how hard the 'NERDS' resist.
BRING BACK THE 'POSITIVELY FOURTH STREET FAIR'