Publisher's note: A creative economy!
By Marty Cayton, posted Sep 25, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com
The creative economy in Fayetteville is a supply chain for belonging, talent and business growth! When we buy a ticket, sponsor a festival or hire a designer/artist, we aren’t just making something beautiful. We’re moving dollars through local restaurants and hotels, keeping skilled people here and signaling to new businesses and stakeholders that we are a region that builds, imagines and creates ideas.
The numbers seem to back this up. According to the latest study by Americans For the Arts, nonprofit arts and culture in Cumberland County generated $72.2 million in total economic activity, supported 1,111 jobs, delivered $44.1 million in personal income to residents and produced about $9.5 million in local, state and federal tax revenue. That’s not “nice to have”—that’s an industry.
Audiences aren’t passive, either. An average attendee here spends about $30 per event on food, shopping and other incidentals—money that flows straight to small businesses before and after curtains rise. Last year, our community logged roughly 900,000 visits to arts and culture activities. That’s real foot traffic and real customers, week in and week out.
Our cover story in this issue examines the Arts Council’s role in coordinating that energy—grants, festivals, public art and the connective tissue that turns individual projects into a regional platform. Signature events don’t just entertain; they activate downtown and our region, introduce new audiences to local storefronts and give us shared experiences to be proud of.
The business case for the arts is even found inside one of the area’s largest employers, our local hospital. Cape Fear Valley Health has expanded supportive services like art therapy across cancer and behavioral health programs. “Treatment” here means treating the whole person; creative expression helps reduce stress, improve communication and build resilience for patients and families. Philanthropy has stepped up as well, with targeted support to extend group art therapy. That’s a blueprint for how compassion and commerce can align.
Another fast-growing lane of the creative economy is game design and development. From concept art and 3D modeling to coding and project management, game development blends the arts with advanced tech—skills that transfer into simulation, defense training, public safety and healthcare. In this issue we spotlight Emerging Technology Institute’s after-school academy in video game development, a hands-on pipeline that lets local students build playable worlds while learning teamwork, problem-solving and production
discipline. That’s not just “fun with pixels;” it’s workforce development that connects directly to regional employers—from studios to defense contractors—and to higher-ed pathways across our area.
What does this mean for business leaders? First, arts represent a talent strategy. Creative places attract and keep the people you want on your teams. Second, arts bring customer acquisition. A lively arts calendar turns casual visitors into repeat diners, shoppers and subscribers. Third, arts are health and resilience—lower turnover, better morale and stronger social ties. Those are competitive advantages.
So here’s my invitation: read the stories, meet the makers and then pick a lane to participate—sponsor a program, commission a wall, buy the ticket, fund the art class or hire the designer/artist. In a community like ours, every dollar invested in the arts returns twice: once on the balance sheet, and again in the pride you feel when you see your town come to life. See you in the audience—and in the marketplace it powers.
God bless you and yours!
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