Kevin Bjorke
Kevin Bjorke
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From the Merc: Silicon Valley Hurting for Culture

“A majority of regional leaders believe Silicon Valley is losing ground in its ability to attract a creative workforce, in part because of an inadequate cultural environment, according to a new survey.”

What seems evident from my silicon valley cubicle is that there are biases within the question itself which point a finger directly at the reasons for this perceived lack. The purpose of the arts is not to enhance the creativity (read: economic value) of the general workforce.

Here’s one economic indicator, however:

“Silicon Valley fares less well regarding professional art venues, at least in budgets. The survey notes that although the South Bay now has triple the population of San Francisco, that city’s non-profit arts economy is approximately three times larger than the $107.3 million budgeted by the 111 non-profit organizations who responded to a related 23-question survey. In fact, the combined operating budgets of the San Francisco Symphony and the Opera alone exceed the total budgets of the 111 South Bay organizations.”

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