President Donald Trump's current budget proposal features hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to the arts, public radio, museums and humanities. As our Matt Hunter reports, for local stakeholders, preserving the arts is not just a matter of cultural vibrancy, but economic strength as well.
ARGYLE, N.Y. – In the 42 years since Tom Lloyd and his business partner founded Adirondack Studios, the company has grown from a modest building in Warrensburg to a sprawling space in Argyle.
"I came here starting a scenery shop in 1975 thinking this is where I want to live my life," Lloyd said on Wednesday. "We like to think the people that came here and are working for us on a regular basis came here because they wanted to be here and wanted to be part of something really creative."
Their creativity has landed them clients like theme park giants Universal and Disney, along with a bevy of grocery stores, restaurants, museums, casinos and Broadway productions for which they design, build and install sets and artistic displays.
"It's pretty much the essence of what we do here, if somebody wants something that nobody else has ever seen before," said Lloyd, a Northwestern graduate whose first job in the local industry was making sets for the Lake George Opera.
Adirondack Studios’ 130 employees represent just a fraction of the Capital Region's 30,000-person workforce in the creative industries and arts. That figure comes from a 2014 study released by the Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy (ACE), which was formed to promote the industry's economic importance and attract new talent.
"In the Capital Region, creative industries account for $800 million in earnings, it is massive," said Maureen Sager, ACE’s project director.
Not all, but a significant portion of those earnings end up in the pockets of self-employed writers and artists, as well as performing arts, museum and public radio employees who benefit from federal funding. It's no wonder, then, that ACE members are concerned about the hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed cuts included in President Donald Trump's federal budget.
"The general tenor of how we consider cultural activity is being undermined,” said Sager, who also runs the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs. “Would anyone undermine manufacturing or construction? It just makes no sense."
While private companies like Adirondack Studios do not receive any federal funds, Lloyd agrees supporting the arts has a return that goes well beyond cultural vibrancy.
"They are not arbitrary; you cannot just make cuts,” Sager said. “You have to invest and you will see a return on the investment."
"Right here, we have the kind of industry and kind of activity that a creative person can sink their teeth into and make a living with," Lloyd said.
In their efforts to promote the economic importance of the creative industries, ACE hosts a monthly networking event and tour at a different Capital Region business. Wednesday evening’s event was held at Adirondack Studios.
For more information, visit the non-profit’s website.