Researchers Say Promoting Craft Industry Could Boost Michigan's Tourism, Economy
"More and more regions in the country are recognizing the relationship among craft production, cultural heritage, and community economic prosperity." - Dr. Marsha MacDowell, MSU Museum

Building up and promoting Michigan's underdeveloped craft industry is a viable way to enhance tourism and strengthen economic development in communities, according to a report released January 23 by the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) and Michigan State University Museum. Bringing in nearly $2 billion per year in the state, the craft industry includes craft fairs and festivals, home-based cottage industries, craft tool production businesses, craft supply and retail operations, galleries, and craft schools and institutes.

From quilters and rug weavers to boat builders and stained-glass makers, the craft industry is an untapped resource with the potential to pump more money into Michigan's economy and draw thousands of tourists to the state, researchers said in the report. The industry is now fragmented across the state, lacking a well-developed infrastructure to support it, and the report's authors call upon leadership and investment from state government and private investors to support the industry as a tool for regional economic development.

"CraftWORKS! Michigan: A Report on Traditional Crafts and Economic Development in Michigan" lays the strategy for marketing Michigan's crafts industry in ways that will: boost a region's appeal by collectively promoting its unique heritage, personality, and crafting businesses; and offer a new tourism product. The full report is available online at www.craftworksmichigan. org.

"The research and report have really opened our eyes to the potential power of a strategically planned and managed craft industry for Michigan," said Dr. William Anderson, director of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. "We've seen it work in other states, as with North Carolina's 'HandMade in America,' an initiative that has realized as much as a $120 million economic impact from the crafts sector. With thousands of crafters and artisans making uniquely Michigan products, Michigan can enjoy those same entrepreneurial and economic rewards."

I n f o r m a t i o n about North Carolina's project, which has developed craft "trails" as automobile routes mapped for tourists to include stops at galleries, workshops, farms, gardens, and wineries, is available online at www.handmadeinamerica.org. Glove-box sized booklets are printed to offer tourists descriptions and maps about art and craft sites throughout the region.

In Michigan, arts and cultural activities already generate nearly $2 billion a year, according to the recent W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research report, "Economic Benefits of Michigan's Arts and Cultural Activities."

Nationwide, the craft industry has a $13.8 billion annual economic impact, only slightly smaller than the retail floral market, as reported by the Craft Organization Development Association in 2001.

The Craft WORKS! report was written by a team at the MSU Museum, home to the Michigan Traditional Arts Program, the state's center for researching, documenting, preserving, and sharing the traditional arts.

"Craft and design in Michigan have a strong and long-standing presence that is shaped by the richness of our natural resources, the diversity of our people, and the way we work and live," explained Dr. Marsha Mac- Dowell, MSU Museum curator of folk arts and one of the report's lead authors. "More and more regions in the country are recognizing the relationship among craft production, cultural heritage, and community economic prosperity."

Dr. Anderson said that with information about the traditional craft sector as well as culture-based tourism trails, the report outlines a series of recommendations about next steps that can be taken to grow the state's economy, as well as examples of successful approaches to linking craft and economy from around the country and the world.

The cultural tourism component of CraftWORKS! Michigan has developed into a separate but related initiative called Destination Culture: Michigan, a Web site now under construction. Designed to draw visitors to Michigan to enjoy cultural resources, the site will be an online resource center that will feature searchable databases of Michigan's cultural assets.