Beacon NY Taps Its Creative Advantage

Beacon is a small former factory town along the Hudson River, which has gotten with the creative economy program in a significant way. Recently, the Dia Art Museum opened in an old abandoned Nabisco factory.

Beacon is located in Duchess County, which also is the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park and the new Richard B. Fisher Center for the performing Arts at Bard College. The Center is a creation of architech Frank Gehry.

Local economic development officials are not idealistic in their assessment of what the arts can do for the local economy. According to Ron Coan, director of the Dutchess County ED Corporation, new investments by IBM and a variety of other companies have helped to create the disposable income needed to support the local arts economy. Coan advocates the growth of a balanced economy that includes a creative component.

This is a sensible strategy in my estimation. And yes, Cleveland and other cities hoping to capitalize on the arts as a component of a future growth engine should look at what Beacon is doing.

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