Delaware’s creative economy includes a variety of roles throughout the state. l PHOTO COURTESY OF DELAWARE ARTS ALLIANCE
WILMINGTON — The Delaware Arts Alliance (DAA) is shedding a new light on a significant stage for economic growth in the First State – its creative economy.
DAA Executive Director Neil Kirschling debuted the groundbreaking new data in a press call Tuesday afternoon with Bracy & Associates President & Principal Consultant Latisha L. Bracy whose business helped the alliance research and come up with the CREATE Plan, or the Creative Economy Advancement & Tourism Expansion.
Results from the two-year undertaking will be unveiled throughout July at launch events in each county, drumming up excitement for the plan which Kirschling says is the first of its kind in the nation.
“No other state has attempted to put together a plan that aligns its creative economy at the state, county and city levels and no state has heard from as many citizens of its state as we’ve attempted to do here,” Kirschling told reporters.
Research for the plan was conducted by Sound Diplomacy which has researched the cultural necessity of music, the arts and its related tourism efforts globally, including Cuba, the United Kingdom, Australia and locations throughout the United States.
Together, Sound Diplomacy and DAA focused on Delaware’s creative economy which includes roles such as publishing services, cultural education, media providers, design services, music and performing arts professionals, business support, visual arts and tourism venues like accommodation establishments.
“We know oftentimes talking with our elected officials, talking with our decision makers, that we have to put things in economic terms and I think you’ll see from this data that the creative economy is putting people to work, is generating an investment and generating an output for this state,” Kirschling said.
The study found that in 2021, Delaware’s creative economy had a total output of $3.7 billion and a total gross value added of $2.2 billion and accounts for 18,551 jobs, or 4.1% of Delaware’s workforce.
To put that into perspective, the economic contribution of agriculture is estimated at nearly $8 billion with 30,000 jobs across the state, according to U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.). Manufacturing output in Delaware clocked in at $5.6 billion in 2021 with an average of 25,000 employees statewide, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.
The study, Kirschling further explained, emphasized that Delaware’s creative economy is among the higher economic drivers in the state and remains a key factor in helping make Delaware a destination for many.
He hopes the data can be used to help relieve some of the barriers that have formed around the arts, such as business and workforce development needs, permitting issues, funding resources and modernization.
While the data shows that “2.35% of Delaware’s workforce is directly employed in creative and cultural tourism sectors, surpassing industries like wholesale trade and agriculture,” the data also showcased some of the barriers present for that workforce.
The average income is one barrier, ranging anywhere from $29,000 to $93,000. Race and gender also came in as a significant barrier toward employment in Delaware’s creative economy.
Regarding race, 12.3% of those employed in the creative economy are Black compared to the general population at 21.5%. Gender disparities could also use some help from this data which states that the workforce includes 35% of women while the rest of the workforce includes 49.4% of women. The data also shows that “men earn on average 39.9% more than women” in the creative economy.
“There’s this perception of the starving artist,” Kirschling said, “What we’d like to represent with this data is that you can make a living in the arts and can make a living in Delaware, but there are opportunities for us to make that easier for folks . . . we’re hoping that the recommendations that we put forward will be a vision for the state for our elected officials and our government leaders to carry forward and make some of this a reality so we can make it easier for arts organizations and individuals alike to make a living in Delaware.”
