Louise Slaughter: “I want to close with two very brief examples of what we were talking about with the revitalization of towns' economy…”

“I want to close with two very brief examples of what we were talking about with the revitalization of towns' economy through art. The Northeast has suffered out migration, as you know, over a number of years, and one little town in New York State called Peekskill was really in very bad condition. The downtown area was basically dead, theatres had closed, restaurants closed. It was not much happening there until a sort of spillover from New York City. A famous artist came into Peekskill, and a well-known sculptor took over the old movie theater. It was perfect for his massive work, and galleries began to open, and then there was a massive change in Peekskill. People began to come in droves. The restaurants opened up again because people needed someplace to live, they needed a place to stay, they needed a place to buy gasoline, they needed a place for snacks, they needed things for souvenirs for their children, and that economy was brought back because of the art that was in Peekskill. Providence, RI has just recently embarked on the same kind of an adventure in their downtown area.”