Framingham, MA – The START Framingham Partnership will release the results of their Economic Impact Study, prepared by Carlisle & Company, on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at an event to be held at the Danforth Museum of Art from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Press and public are invited to discover why the creative industries are economic engines, having a profound economic impact on their communities.

Come Enjoy an Evening of Entertainment & Celebration

The evening includes a celebration of the varied and exciting arts community in Framingham, of the START Partnership, and of the bold new face of the arts community as a force within the area’s economic engine. Community leaders, Massachusetts Cultural Council representatives, and principals of Carlisle & Company will join the START Partnership committee in this celebration.

So far, Representative Pam Richardson and the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Communications Director Gregory Liakos have responded they will attend and speak.

Traditional industries do not have the same economic impact as creative industries. Creative industries are unique because they induce additional spending beyond the customer’s initial purchase of a ticket or work of art. They attract visitors to their events, and those visitors spend money to travel, eat, shop, and sleep. As they draw patrons, they bring other businesses, such as restaurants and shops, to the area. Creative industries are also unique because they are strongly rooted in their communities. The jobs they generate remain local. A vibrant creative economy can foster a more attractive area in which to live and locate businesses.

The START Framingham Partnership was originally a consortium of 60 individuals and organizations, appointed by town Selectmen, working together to support Framingham’s artists and cultural organizations. START Framingham was supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) which chose Framingham as one of three Massachusetts towns to receive a three-year grant from the Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation to support and to promote community participation in the arts. The Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation gave 13 START (State Art) initiative grants in total. MCC’s decision to choose Framingham was influenced by the town’s ethnic diversity and hundreds of professional artists and cultural organizations actively working in various fields in the arts.

START’s mission is to raise awareness of the arts and to increase participation in arts-related activities among all segments of the population through innovative and creative methods. The $1,000 funding needed for the economic impact study was provided by the Sudbury Foundation.

Please join us for this evening of art, entertainment, and exposure to this exciting study.