Berkeley’s Arts and Culture Renaissance Stimulates Economy

May 2006

In Berkeley, the connection between art, culture and economic development is clear. The city’s cultural arts are recog nized both as an economic driver and the city’s soul. Berkeley’s identity as a center for arts and culture is spreading from its Downtown Arts District to slowly encom pass the entire city. Neighborhood arts districts, the installation of public art, the renewed interest in affordable artist hous ing and the adoption of Berkeley’s new Arts and Cultural Plan all signal positive signs. This trend has opened the door to new types of commercial and residential development in Berkeley.

In its 2005 National Conference, the American Planning Association chose Berkeley’s Downtown Addison Street Arts District as a model revitalization zone. Creating affordable artist housing and workspace in West Berkeley is increasingly important, and Affordable Housing Associates is developing a 55-unit live-work housing project on abandoned Santa Fe railroad land. The Ashby Arts District, a grassroots collaborative of local arts groups including Epic Arts, the Black Repertory Theatre, Ashby Stage and La Peņa Cultural Center, is a revitalization tool for the economic and cultural renewal of the South Berkeley neighborhood.

Berkeley has more than 130 nonprofit arts and cultural groups in a city of about 105,000 residents. The city supports these groups through its Civic Arts Grant Program, which helps nonprofit arts groups leverage additional funding from foundations and private donors.

Cultural tourism will likely increase in downtown Berkeley as plans proceed for a downtown hotel and conference center in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley, which includes the relocation of three museums to the down town area. Construction is also set to begin soon for the David Brower Center, including a theater, art gallery and a new home for the environmental movement. These developments add to Berkeley’s vibrancy and regional appeal as an arts and cultural destination, and expand on its rich cultural base.

Contact: Mary Ann Merker, civic arts coordinator, City of Berkeley; phone: (510) 981-7533; e-mail: mmerker@ci.berkeley.ca.us