Photo courtesy of The Phoenix Symphony
“Arts and culture is a significant industry in Arizona,” says Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, citing numbers that support the statement: The sector represents 3% of the state’s total GDP, employs more than 84,000 individuals and in 2022 added $14.2 billion to the economy. That last figure, he notes, is “nearly as much as agriculture, mining and education combined.”
Peter Kjome, president and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony, observing that numerous studies have reinforced the importance of the arts and culture sector, points to a recently released Arts & Economic Prosperity study conducted by Americans for the Arts indicates that the arts and culture sector at the national level generated more than $150 billion of economic activity in 2022. Bridging it to the local level, he says, “In Arizona, the impact was measured as over $1.1 billion, including over $500 million in spending by arts and culture organizations and nearly $600 million in event-related expenditures by audiences.”
In addition to arts and culture being what she calls “a massive economic engine on its own,” Children’s Museum of Phoenix director Kate Wells notes that, in Arizona alone, the arts economy provides hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, and tens-of-thousands of jobs. “Vibrant arts communities attract and retain workers; drive tourism; and create livable, desirable communities with high qualities of life. All the benefits that the arts bring to business they also bring to each and every one of our lives,” she says. “And don’t we all want to live in a place that has an amazing quality of life?”
Camacho points to a multiplier effect of investment in this sector. “Arts and culture in the City of Phoenix during fiscal year 2023 generated $92.5 million in total tax revenue, on top of more than $323 million in household income and 7,686 jobs supported,” he says, adding, “There is significant opportunity to amplify visibility on our creative economy, not only locally, but at the national and global level. This benefits industry growth beyond the sector itself.”
Affirming this view from one of the state’s leading economic development organizations, Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of the Phoenix Art Museum, says, “Arts and culture are equally important to every other sector in the state and have been a driving force behind why people move to the Valley – just as equal to the landscape, outdoor opportunities, and weather. Regardless of how you put it, we are a large economic driver and economy within the state. We support the richness of a place and, as we consider more and more diverse individuals coming to the region from other parts of the country and world, we provide those new employees and residents with the opportunity to feel represented and build community.”
There is the aesthetic benefit Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego describes: “The arts inspire and bring joy to residents; they beautify public spaces and strengthen community pride and identity.” But she notes that arts and culture organizations are also businesses. “They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents. Event-related spending by their audiences generates valuable revenue for local merchants — dining in a nearby restaurant, paying to park or for a rideshare, shopping at local retail stores, and enjoying dessert after a show — a value-add few industries can compete with.”
Photo courtesy of The Phoenix Theatre Company
Driving home that point, Camacho says, “Engaging in the arts keeps funds within the community and multiplies spending across local businesses. … In the City of Phoenix, event attendees spent nearly $45 extra per event beyond the cost of admission, important income for local businesses and city revenues.”
Furthermore, Camacho notes, this sector is not only a significant economic driver on its own but directly contributes to the perception, experience and identity of our region and fuels innovation across industries. “Within GPEC’s business attraction efforts,” he shares, “companies are consistently interested in understanding the cultural and creative environment and opportunities for their employees, driven by this sector.”
Vincent VanVleet, executive director of The Phoenix Theatre Company, believes arts and culture are critical to business because they contribute significantly to the economic vitality of a city. “They attract cultural tourists, who spend more and stay longer, boosting local businesses from hotels to restaurants to retail. Moreover, a vibrant arts scene enhances quality of life, which is a major factor in attracting and retaining a talented workforce,” he says. “Companies want to invest in cities where their employees have access to rich cultural experiences. The arts inspire innovation and creativity, traits that are essential for a thriving business community.”
In addition to its role in attracting business investment, and enriching the lives of people who choose to invest and make their home here in Arizona, “The arts & culture sector provides important opportunities to foster diversity, equity and inclusion — creating a welcoming environment that, in turn, helps to support and promote growth,” Kjome says.
“If you look at some of the nation’s most successful cities over the past two decades, those metro areas often have invested in the so-called ‘creative class,’” says Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, president and CEO of Scottsdale Arts. “From Austin to Chattanooga, Nashville to Atlanta, commerce and culture are intrinsically interconnected. Today’s tech-heavy companies rely on attracting creative thinkers, and creative thinkers are attracted by cultural life to balance work. As the Valley has become a destination for start-ups and tech hubs, I think investing in the intersection of creativity and business just makes good business sense.”
Phoenix Is an Arts City
“We live in a remarkable city with an amazing spirit of optimism,” Kjome says. “That is how we feel about our future at The Phoenix Symphony, and about the future of the arts in Phoenix and Arizona. We have amazing opportunities to enrich lives through the arts in our great city.”
“Phoenix is an arts city,” says Mayor Gallego. “Everywhere you look, you can see that in action: beautiful murals on the sides of buildings, incredible yet practical works of art that double as shade structures, pop-up exhibits and concerts — and much more. We have incredible talent here and are home to some of the best artists in our country. We also have top-tier museums — international leaders like the Museum of Musical Instruments. And our youth arts organizations are some of the best in the nation and have produced national stars, including Emma Stone.”
Camacho cites additional evidence that creative talent is strong in Arizona: “With the proliferation of diversity providing unique voices and perspectives, SMU’s national Art Vibrancy Index rated independent artists and arts, culture and entertainment firms in Maricopa County in the 93rd and 92nd percentiles, respectively, comparable to cities like Boston and New Orleans, according to 2022 data,” he says. “This is fueled in part by strong arts education across the state, with 88% of schools offering arts courses and 73% of students enrolled” in grades pre-K through 12, in 2022.
Says Mikolajczak, “Comparatively, Phoenix is incredibly rich with talent throughout the creative sector. It is one of our strongest assets as well as economies in the region.”
And VanVleet notes, “The Phoenix Theatre Company is proud to not only attract top-tier local and visiting talent that rivals those of major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, but also to nurture and showcase homegrown talent. Our Summer Camp program has been a springboard for young performers, with several of our campers going on to be cast in our productions, creating a full-circle moment that enriches our artistic community.
“Our audiences are equally remarkable,” VanVleet continues, “with many patrons holding subscriptions for over a decade — some even more than 20 years. Their unwavering support and loyalty speak to the quality and impact of our productions. Phoenix may not have the same national visibility as other cities, but our talent pool is deep, and our passionate, dedicated audience continually proves that the Valley is a vibrant and thriving cultural hub.”
“We continue to strive to build support and pride in our arts and cultural institutions and individuals, as well as the yearning to share that with the millions of visitors to our state every year,” says Mikolajczak, adding, “We are at our best when supported by the local community as well as tourists.”
Photo courtesy of Children’s Museum of Phoenix
Wells, pointing out that the Children’s Museum offers a first opportunity for families to dip their toes into cultural experiences with their young children, notes, “We work really hard to introduce families to other arts and cultural opportunities in the community — it’s the ‘rising tide raises all ships’ philosophy. We are doing our part to create a pipeline of future audiences, one preschooler at a time!”
Our strong local audience is amplified by tourists, according to figures Camacho shares: The City of Phoenix had 6 million attendees of related events in 2022, according to the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 report, 676,000 of whom were out-of-state. Between Arizonans and tourists, there was more than $266.7 million in event-related spending.
“As the fifth-largest city in the country, Phoenix boasts all the major arts-and-culture-focused institutions of our counterparts in the largest cities,” says Mayor Gallego. These include a full-time symphony, ballet and opera companies and award-winning museums highlighting art, history and specialty exhibitions. “Beyond these major institutions, the City of Phoenix grants funds to over 100 arts organizations across the entire city,” she adds, noting, “The arts are not only a cultural asset but also a significant industry in Phoenix — one that generates a staggering $449.9 million in total economic activity, engages and serves residents, and draws more than 8 million visitors annually.”
“As a major metro area, we certainly have the audience base one would expect,” says Dr. Wuestemann. “I believe that our audiences generally trend toward less formal and more engaging arts experiences — more the equivalent of casual table setting than white tablecloth dining, so to speak.”
Noting that “We always keep the audience in mind, Mikolajczak points to the Phoenix Art Museum’s long history of bringing blockbuster exhibitions to the Valley. “The pandemic shifted how the global art world approaches the formation of ‘blockbusters,’ and audiences are demanding something a little more than previously presented,” he says. “We don’t find it difficult or challenging to bring some of the most important artists and art throughout history to the museum, but how we select, interpret and present it is certainly on a different scale and in different forms.”
For instance, he shares, “We have had an incredible response from the community regarding the types of art we exhibit, including exhibitions such as ‘Barbie: A Cultural Icon’ and ‘Mr.: You Can Hear the Song of This Town’ — recent audience favorites. For Phoenix Art Museum, we can appeal to many audiences throughout our galleries, and, for us, it is about balance. As a community-centered institution, we can provide a connection to the global world of art and historical movements, appeal to the many ‘fashionistas’ as one of few costume institutes in the country, highlight the incredible artists of Arizona through our annual awards and exhibition program, as well as appeal to populist forms of art including anime, cars, film, technology and popular culture. One thing that certainly rings true in attracting audiences, especially post-pandemic, is that they want high-quality, impactful experiences that are authentic and representative of an evolving and exciting city.”
Mikolajczak notes also that new technologies play a role in decision making, especially with contemporary artists. “Phoenix is a relatively new audience for many artists and museum colleagues, so it is exciting for many to consider presenting exhibitions and projects at the museum,” he says, citing as example the forthcoming large-format dual exhibitions highlighting the work of world-renowned artist Charles Gaines. “Charles could show and present projects at any major institution throughout the world, but with Phoenix rapidly expanding and evolving as a global city with robust community engagement and large swaths of people coming to the Valley as tourists or on business endeavors, we are an appealing museum and region to the artist, especially with the added aspect that the project debuts an entirely new body of work that focuses on the Arizona cottonwoods.”
However, in terms of talent development, Dr. Wuestemann believes we are “decidedly lagging” behind other large metro areas. “Given our location as a gateway to Latin America, along a culturally rich Sunbelt corridor, we need to do a better job supporting emerging artists in their career development and performance opportunities,” he says.
In that respect, he says, “I think a major part of career development is providing performance opportunities for local talent.” He anticipates Scottsdale Arts’ upcoming, intimate-yet-state-of-the-art Ziegler Theater will become a venue not only for major national touring artists, ranging from jazz to chamber music, singer-songwriter to global music, but “will also become a hub for launching emerging local artists onto a viable career path, enabling them to take their performances to the next level.
“In addition to these opportunities,” Dr. Wuestemann continues, “our upcoming ArtSpark career development program will support artists with stipends, work/rehearsal spaces and classes to develop business plans, self-promotional tools and management/contract experience.”
Mikolajczak also addresses the ongoing need for this sector to grow. “At Phoenix Art Museum,” he says, “we’ve focused a lot on recruiting, nurturing, retaining, and providing advancement opportunities for new and existing talent, both professionally in our workforce and in the local artists community.”
For example, Phoenix Art Museum has shifted its priorities by investing in the retention and support of its staff as well as recruiting locally. “In Phoenix,” says Mikolajczak, “we are fortunate to have great educational institutions, including ASU and Maricopa County Community Colleges, in which we have existing relationships, and working with others, to explore multiple advancement opportunities. Additionally, we have identified ways to support and promote existing team members to new roles at the institution.”
As for nurturing new talent within the artistic community, Mikolajczak says, “We’ve made great investments in the annual Arizona Artists Awards program, including hiring a dedicated curator for community art initiatives and a curator of community engagement. We’ve also substantially increased our monetary awards given to the Scult Award winner (established artist — $20,000) and Lehmann awardees (two emerging artists — $10,000 each), in addition to establishing baseline compensation for artists who provide services at the Museum.”
Ensuring Arts & Culture into the Future
“A successful arts landscape requires a whole-of-society approach,” says Mayor Gallego. This approach, she believes, comprises strong community engagement, a caring ecosystem, self-starting artists and entrepreneurs, collaboration between the public and private sectors, and inclusive policies. For its part, the City of Phoenix invests about $25 million annually in the arts. “These resources, coupled with elected leaders who truly prioritize the arts, can make a huge difference,” observes Mayor Gallego. Referring to the election last fall, when “Phoenix residents overwhelmingly voted to pass our first General Obligation Bond in 16 years — dedicating $50 million to the arts,” she says, “We could not have passed the Bond without help from key partners who got the word out, hosted events and demonstrated the power of what they do: Artlink Inc., Valley Youth Theater, Phoenix Theatre, the Children’s Museum, Xico and more.”
Noting, “The State of Arizona has dramatically cut the city’s budget, which constrains our ability to provide services, Mayor Gallego points out the city supports many arts organizations that have a statewide impact: The City of Phoenix owns and maintains a portfolio of cultural facilities that house established organizations such as the Arizona Opera, The Phoenix Theatre and the Phoenix Art Museum. “But we need more support at the city level to pass on support for the arts,” she says. “I am proud that the people of Phoenix voted to support the arts with $50 million in Government Obligation Bonds last fall. Balanced with essential services and infrastructure priorities, our voters showed they wanted a future with a burgeoning arts scene. Thanks to them, Valley Youth Theatre will get a permanent home, we’ll create a much-awaited Latino Culture Center, upgrade the Phoenix Center for the Arts, expand the Children’s Museum, and more.”
Photo by Brian Passey, courtesy of Scottsdale Arts
As Dr. Wuestemann puts it, “Great arts nonprofits do not exist in isolation.” Observing that we live and work in an interconnected ecosystem, which he believes can only thrive in an environment of collaboration and mutual support, he says, “Ideally, arts entities should rest on a three-legged stool of public, earned and contributed revenue. In other words: selling tickets and asking for patron support through membership and donations is important. But so is public investment. If you think of arts and culture as community infrastructure — or, as I would call it, Parks and Rec for the Soul — we should invest in it as communities.”
Says Camacho, “Other regions and states, including Denver, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, have driven intentional public-private measures to induce more resources and radically enhance the arts and culture delivery system in their markets.” He believes that, to take advantage of the momentum and further cultivate the talent in our arts and culture community, Greater Phoenix and Arizona could consider something similar in the future.”
VanVleet expresses a similar view: “Ensuring strong support for the arts in Phoenix requires a multi-faceted approach,” he says. He believes that, while government funding can be unpredictable, the key lies in cultivating robust private and corporate partnerships as well as individual patronage. “We must continue to engage our community through compelling programming and impactful community service initiatives, like Partners That Heal and our inclusive Summer Camp programs,” he says. “Building relationships with local businesses and philanthropic organizations helps create a network of support that sustains us even when public funding falls short.”
Observes Camacho, “In the current environment, support and funding for the arts falls primarily on the shoulders of for-profit and nonprofit companies and individuals in the community, with the support of local governments.” He believes individual arts patronage and support is essential since arts, as a local sector, is heavily driven by community engagement. “It is typically the first sector to contract and one of the last to recover from economic downturns,” he says, noting that for many arts organizations who employ and/or showcase local creatives, this is often directly linked to changes in consumer spending. In fact, he points out that many performing arts organizations in the community have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, even though the region as a whole fully recovered jobs by November 2021. “We can’t diminish the importance of individuals in the community supporting local arts organizations. Community patronage and purchasing has and will continue to impact the longevity and standing of local artists and creative organizations.”
Emphasizing the crucial role of private arts funding in strengthening the arts and culture ecosystem, Camacho says, “Businesses have considerable avenues to engage with the arts that not only benefit the arts and culture sector but also enhance their own brand identity and community presence.” By directly contributing to arts organizations, businesses can help advance essential programs, resources, exhibitions and performances that sustain growth and community engagement. “Companies also have the opportunity to commission local artists across mediums — including graphic design, videography, animation and photography — helping to showcase regional talent while addressing corporate needs in marketing, branding and storytelling.”
Camacho shares several examples to illustrate his points:
“Organizations can create unique collaborations by incorporating the arts in events, activations and public-facing spaces. Hiring local culinary artists, musicians or muralists for corporate events, product launches, or community initiatives can create a more immersive and authentic experience while promoting and supporting the region’s creative workforce.
“Companies can also decorate offices with local art, directly contributing to funding artists with the initial purchase and creating long-term direct and indirect exposure by displaying works.
“The Super Bowl mural in downtown Phoenix is a recognizable brand activation and example of private arts funding — the NFL commissioned a 9,500-square-foot mural, in which a number of Indigenous artists were involved in the production. It directly contributed to these artists and
their organizations while helping build the branding of the NFL and Greater Phoenix and increasing tribal representation.
“These varying levels of engagement not only bolster the local economy but ensure arts and culture remain an integral and celebrated part of the community identity,” Camacho says. And, beyond monetary support, he suggests creating awareness of events and artists is a fundamental way anyone can support the industry.
Mikolajczak believes private-sector support truly drives the creative sector in Arizona, and more support from citizens, corporations, and foundations is needed at every level — with board engagement, volunteerism and communications among the ways that go beyond the monetary. “It is amazing to see how communities rally around the loss of a professional sports team, how they build a commission of private/public sector officials to find solutions,” he says. “If just a small amount of that energy and those resources were put into arts and culture, we would have a very different conversation and one with staying power, as most of the organizations in the Vallery have been serving this community for decades.”
Notes Camacho, “It’s worth highlighting that local government spending in the arts is managed at the municipality level, and many communities have taken action to further support arts and culture initiatives and to directly fund the creation of new works, arts resources and education, for and by community members.”
Photo courtesy of Children’s Museum of Phoenix
On this point, Wells shares, “The Children’s Museum is extremely fortunate to have the support of the City of Phoenix — they own the historic Monroe School where we are located. It would be financially impossible for the Museum to afford a like-sized facility, and we would not be able to serve the 400,000-plus children and families that visit each year without a building this size.”
Referring to the bond measure mentioned above by Mayor Gallego, which she was also involved with, Wells says, “The 2023 GO Bond will allow the City to invest in major capital improvements to many of its City-owned buildings, and fortunately the Children’s Museum was one of the priority projects.
“The process to be included on the GO Bond was long but very thoughtfully done, with lots of community input,” she continues, “and I think the way in which the mayor, city council, the city manager and the local business community pulled together in support of it helped Phoenix voters feel really comfortable voting for it. The GO Bond earmarked $5.37 million to be used to complete 27,000 square feet of renovations to the Children’s Museum building, which will increase our capacity to serve over a half million visitors a year.” While she expects the City funds to fall short of the cost for the renovations because of steep escalation costs in construction, she says the Museum and its supporters are committed to raising additional funds to complete the project and outfit the new spaces with more amazing educational and fun exhibits and experiences.
To get community leaders and philanthropists excited about what’s next, Wuestemann believes arts organizations should lead with a united voice, bold vision and the imagination and fervor to innovate. Using Scottsdale Arts as an example, he says, “We have reinvented the organization over the past six years, and our new campus and outdoors stages, as well as the upcoming Ziegler Theater, have brought us new excitement, new audiences and new resources.
“For nearly 50 years, Scottsdale Arts has been home to a wonderful, large, modern venue, as well as a very small, 100-seat theater stuck in the 1970s! Our new Ziegler Theater will finally address our need for a first-rate, intimate, 250-seat theater. In addition, the old 100-seat venue will be transformed into a highly adaptable black box,” Wuestemann says.
He describes some of the exciting innovations planned for the new theater: “The new Ziegler Theater will feature adaptable floor plans, an audience experience with fabulous sound and sightlines for every seat, an up-and-close energy, and a high-end acoustic system, allowing us to transform the ambient room sound from cathedral-reverberant (for chamber music) to concert-hall refined to jazz-club rich and studio dry. This system will enable us to accommodate every genre of music and spoken word, including small plays, speaker series, event uses, and all types of music.
“The new theater is an important and overdue addition. In conjunction with the also-new black box venue, it will give Scottsdale Arts three high-quality options for performances, from a large hall to an intimate theater to a hyper-adaptable small black box. The also-new Stage 2 black box will play an important role in our extensive Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation programs. Both new theaters will support our investment in contemporary dance over these past years, serving as great venues for masterclasses and local companies.”
Kjome sees collaboration with elected leaders to be part of The Phoenix Symphony’s work and shared advocacy to help foster our vibrant arts and culture sector to enrich lives in Phoenix and Arizona and which he believes will continue to play a role in attracting business investment. He acknowledges that financial pressures and competing priorities may result in difficult choices at the national, state and local levels, but says, “This vital work is a shared responsibility — within the vibrant arts and culture sector, our remarkable business community, and beyond — and we can increase our collective impact by working together in partnership with our elected leaders.”
Wells addresses the social value of the arts, observing, “I think it became so clear during COVID that the arts permeate every part of the American culture — and the arts is what got many people through those lonely, disconnected times.” She believes long-term financial support will require “people need to demand public funds go to supporting this public good just as they do with parks, libraries and the like.”
Mikolajczak sees the ability of arts and cultural institutions to play a larger role in economic development as an area of opportunity. “Our institutions and the enhancements we provide to quality of life and entertainment can be vital assets as we seek to draw larger corporate entities to the Valley and Arizona more broadly,” he says. “Arts and cultural institutions have long been overlooked in this area, and we need larger agencies and municipalities to lean in to leveraging and utilizing arts and culture as regional assets that can play a key role in attracting new audiences while enriching the vibrancy and livelihood of our citizens. That is not to discredit the current efforts underway, but we have a way to go, especially when you take into consideration the diverse and distinctly rich cultural histories paired with the excitement of a growing artistic community.”
Building Past the Challenges
“Arts and culture organizations and their leaders are often left out of many larger conversations about the economic impacts and development of a region. Or they are brought in at the end as an afterthought,” says Mikolajczak. He emphasizes the sector’s importance as one of the largest economic drivers in the state, with an incredible workforce, but feels its 501c3 status keeps it from sitting at the table when it comes to economic development planning. “For me, and at the end of the day, Phoenix Art Museum is a $14-million organization with an incredible staff of over 200 individuals, and an economic impact that far exceeds our annual budget,” he says, making a similar case for other arts and cultural organizations in the Valley. “It just so happens that our business model is about the wellness and livelihood of our citizens by providing enriching cultural experiences that enhance the everyday lives of our citizens and visitors,” he explains. “We also build civic pride and tell the stories and histories of many great people who have built the Valley of Sun, who also believed that to build a great city and society, one must have arts and culture that provide a greater understanding of the world around them, with the opportunity for a sense of wonder and delight.”
And, of course, there was the unique challenge of the pandemic, which disrupted organizations’ ability to present live concerts. “The pandemic brought new urgency to innovate, collaborate and respond to evolving and often unpredictable circumstances,” Kjome says. “This experience served as a reminder not only of the importance of determination, but also of the powerful resilience we have when working together toward a shared goal.”
Mikolajczak finds promotion remains one of the most challenging aspects for arts organizations throughout the Valley. “We have a vibrant media and news community here, but since the pandemic, our metro region — compared to other cities of this scale — is limited in its coverage of the arts on a broader scale due to staffing, financial and other issues that affect newsrooms and their ability to cover all of the incredible things happening across our city at any one time,” he says.
Photo by Brian Passey, courtesy of Scottsdale Arts
The way forward, Kjome believes involves engaging stakeholders to work in collaboration, explaining, “Goals to enrich lives through arts and culture must be broken down into actionable steps, where teams align and where resources are used wisely to provide meaningful outcomes.”
While Greater Phoenix is known for its collaborative environment for business broadly, Wuestemann points out the arts faces its own challenges. He notes that, unlike most large metro areas, which have galvanized around a central, large-scale arts campus with joint visual and performing arts venues, every municipality in the Phoenix metropolitan area has its own arts complex. “In an area as sprawling as the Valley, this makes some sense, but it also creates the challenge of all of us competing for audiences, donors, funding and marketing capacity,” he says. “As a result, many of our smaller venues are under-capitalized, making risk taking and innovation even more challenging.”
VanVleet points also to the challenge of maintaining relevance and visibility in a rapidly changing cultural landscape. “With so many entertainment options available, we have to consistently demonstrate the unique value that live theater brings to the community,” he says. “Additionally, balancing the financial sustainability of our operations with the need to make the arts accessible to all is a continual challenge. Expanding our facilities is part of the solution, enabling us to produce more ambitious works that can attract broader audiences and elevate Phoenix as a cultural destination.”
The Arts Boost
“The arts are also important for celebrating what is unique about Arizona,” says Mayor Gallego. For instance, art at Sky Harbor celebrates our unique vistas, from the Phoenix landscape to the sand dunes of Southern Arizona. Our convention center art helps educate visitors about our history and our vision for the future. She also notes the benefit of hosting so many mega-events in helping raise awareness of the arts. “The Super Bowl in 2023 brought the City of Phoenix, Downtown Phoenix Inc., and Artlink together to create a 190-foot ‘Welcome to Phoenix’ mural on Adams Street by local muralist Kayla Newnam. The big Gila Monster became a staple in photos posted from visitors and residents alike and has become an icon in our downtown. Both of this year’s major basketball events — the NCAA Final Four and the WNBA All-Star Game — also elevated the arts community through upgraded sports and park facilities and incredible art installations,” she says.
“These mega-events,” notes Mayor Gallego, “not only present a serious economic boost but an arts and culture boost as well.”
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