Creative economy thrives in rural clusters in Miss.

The Blues Trail is part of the creative industry.
(Photo by Regional Technology Strategies)

In an attempt to find out how important "creative jobs" are to a state's economy and rural communities, the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Development Authority commissioned a study about the state's creative industry. Regional Technology Strategies founder Stuart Rosenfeld, who helped conduct the study, reports for the Daily Yonder that the state's creative industries employ about 45,000 people. That might seem small when compared to metropolitan areas, he writes, but Mississippi's creative industry cluster is larger than many of the state's other clusters, including information technology and defense. The study and what's happening in Mississippi could be examples for other rural states.

Rosenfeld reports the creative economy "depends on non-profit organizations, cultural and entertainment events and venues, and places where creative enterprises can be started, housed, and displayed." The Arts Commission supports the Mississippi Whole School Initiative, which "maintains an emphasis on the arts in the public schools even as so many other states are de-emphasizing these areas." Rosenfeld reports the creative economy "is a home grown industry," because it's "embedded in the culture, traditions, and history" of the state. He profiles a selection of creative industry success stories, including stories from the state's Gulf Coast, the Delta region and the Mississippi School for the Arts, a residential arts school for high school juniors and seniors. (Read more)