Fenty Administration Releases Plan to Strengthen DC’s Creative Sector

Creative DC Action Agenda to invest in key part of city’s economy

Washington, DC – To coincide with the start of Digital Capital Week – the District’s first ever digital arts and technology festival – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced the release of the Creative DC Action Agenda, a strategy to strengthen the District’s creative economy. With more than 75,000 direct jobs that generate $5 billion annually in income across the design, media, performing/visual arts, museum management, building and culinary arts industries, the study found that the District’s creative sector is a significant driver of the city’s economy and a key asset across neighborhoods.

“The study puts the District in a new light,” said Mayor Fenty. “We are truly a creative city, where creativity and talent combine to enliven our community and enhance our competitiveness.”

The Action Agenda lays out a roadmap to further grow this sector through business, employment, market, educational and neighborhood-based approaches that leverage assets such as the federal government and foreign missions that sponsor cultural events; the presence of major national organizations, associations and local non profits related to arts and culture; and diverse creative talent and small businesses throughout the city.

“Creative enterprises are providing employment and business opportunities for residents, and contributing to the vibrancy and economic stability of the District, said Harriet Tregoning, Director of the DC Office of Planning. “The creative economy is also helping to reconnect and revitalize emerging areas of the city and helping neighborhoods develop an even more distinctive sense of place.”

The Creative DC Action Agenda was led by the District’s Office of Planning and the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, with participation from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development.

To view the Creative DC Action Agenda, click here.