Broward County's arts scene has been growing over the past several years with special events like the Fort Lauderdale Art & Design week and 'The Art Fair On The Water,' in addition to regular art walking tours and new studio space initiatives.
Monday evening, a panel of individuals and organizations who have been working to make that happen, from the Broward Cultural Council and Fort Lauderdale City Commission to a Broward County-centric social marketing platform called #Choose954, are gathering to talk about what comes next for supporting the part of Fort Lauderdale's economy that's driven by the arts, the so-called creative economy.
"To have a well-cultured, world-class community, we need people to show up," said Evan Snow, a co-founder of #Choose954. "It ties into many different bigger pictures with the ability to attract and retain talent."
Snow, the moderator for the third-annual panel, said he hopes the event will answer some long-term questions for artists as well as people who want to support them.
"Some of the topics that we'll be discussing are, 'how has a culture development like FAT village or MASS District contributed to the creative economy?" Snow said. "What can a person or business that's not been involved in the creative economy or arts and culture do? What does it mean to be a part of the creative class in our city today?"
Another growing area of Fort Lauderdale that could contribute to the city's creative economy, Snow said, is development: Thousands of apartments are currently going up in the downtown area.
"It comes at a time, probably now more important than ever, that we have a strong emphasis on the creative economy and the creative class so that we can support our local [creatives]," he said.
Read More: Artist Journeys: Broward County's First Sistrunk-A-Fair Showcases Local Black Art
The Creative Economy panel opens its doors at 6:30 p.m. and the talk starts at 7 p.m. at the Pipeline Workspaces Building in Downtown Fort Lauderdale. It's free for the public to attend. #Choose954 will also post a video of the event here (please note it's not live).
Snow said, whether it's seeing a show at the Broward Center For The Performing Arts or buying a painting from a local artists, people are participating in the creative economy more than ever before in Fort Lauderdale.
"I'd like to think, right now Broward County is at its all-time peak for arts and culture and engagement in the arts," Snow said. "It's a very, very exciting time for Broward County."
