Photo: Onajide Shabaka/Miamiartexchange
As Art Palm Beach sets up for its 15th year in West Palm Beach, organizers say there is more to love than the murals, sculptures and paintings: They say the fair boosts the local economy.
LeeAnn Lester is the organizer of Art Palm Beach. She said, “Supporting the local shows and whether it be a consumer show or trade show, brings immediate jobs to a community, which is why so many communities fight to have convention centers because it’s the pipeline.”
She may be right. A recent study cited by the Conventions Industry Association says events like Art Palm Beach create more jobs each year throughout the United States than the auto industry.
Lester says Art Palm Beach is spending about $800,000 in Palm Beach County this year and 200-300 temporary jobs are created just for those necessary to set up and break down the artwork.
“Each piece represents a living artist and so those are jobs as well,” she said.
Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/art-scene-boosts-local-economy#ixzz1k7KRlVnl
(Via: wptv.com – By: Ashleigh Walters)