Sunya Folayan poses for a portrait with some of her fiber art in her studio. Folayan lives “within walking distance” of the Clearwater Artist Studios. Photo by Marty Price

By Marty Price. When Noelle Rhodes Scott, president and CEO of the Cabarrus Arts Council first came to the CAC, there was a grand total of one employee—her.  Now she has a budget of $988,288 and eight employees including herself.

RHODES SCOTT

Art was a billion-dollar industry in North Carolina in 2010. A new study gets under way soon, and Scott says the economic impact of art is growing. “The downtown area has flourished,” in part due to the events that the art council initiated, Scott says. Art also serves as a recruitment tool for the city as it tries to woo new businesses and for employers trying to lure new hires to the area.

“Now, in the days of computers and a lot of remote working, many people can live where they want to and the arts are a primary thing that draws them,” Scott says.

Scott said that when she started at the CAC, “The Cabarrus Art Guild was very active with local artists, but there wasn’t a gallery where art was being brought in by various artists.  Our priority was to start a gallery where people could come in and see something that they wouldn’t see anywhere else.”

Around 300 people came to the first Art Walk, helping fill shops and restaurants. When live performances were added at the Davis Theatre, more people came. The local art scene solidified when the city-owned Clearwater Artist Studios opened in the Gibson Village neighborhood.

Rent in the 38,000 square feet of combined studio spaces is based on a sliding scale—with the highest rate being $5.25 per square foot per year.   There are currently 16 artists leasing 13 spaces ranging from 200 square feet to 1,600 square feet.

“Make sure it (your art) is something you love and are willing to do without getting paid for it.  If you stick with it long enough, you will get paid for it”

– Sunya Folayan, artist

Sarah Gay, manager for Clearwater Artist Studios, said some of the artists that have their studios here moved their homes nearby, strengthening the neighborhood.

Artist Sunya Folayan moved her family to Gibson Village within walking distance of her studio. Nevertheless, it’s business: She has made several thousand dollars for a commissioned historical narrative quilt.

“Make sure it (your art) is something you love and are willing to do without getting paid for it.  If you stick with it long enough, you will get paid for it,” Folayan says.

In Cornelius, Elie Zeidan is an artist who owns and runs Cafe Elie, a combination art studio and gallery, complete with a wine bar. He offers classes to a wide range of students, but he doesn’t paint a picture of a large impact from the arts in Cornelius. “There is ‘Tawba Walk, which is a good concept.  They bring in vendors who sell their own products but not specifically art,” said Zeidan.

The town is not expected to fund the organizer of ‘Tawba Walk, a for-profit called Bella Love, with $75,000 in financial support over three years.

“We need to organize more art shows for artists to show their work.  It has to be once a month and only art, nothing else. That would help the businesses and the artists as well,” Zeidan said.

The Arts and Economic Prosperity IV study said total arts-related expenditures in 2010 were more than $1.23 billion in North Carolina. A new study is due next year.