Creative Haverhill is a nonprofit organization focused on advocating for the arts in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The creative economy includes industries like technology, entertainment, and arts that employ highly educated creative workers. Richard Florida's research found that cities with higher concentrations of creative class workers in these fields experience greater economic growth. In Haverhill, the conversion of abandoned mills into residential and commercial spaces has attracted new residents and businesses downtown, helping revitalize the former shoe manufacturing city and grow its tax revenue. Creative Haverhill and other local organizations work to promote the arts and public art displays that make Haverhill a more desirable place to live.

1. Contact: Meghan Cary
Intern at Creative Haverhill
Email: Director@CreativeHaverhill.org
Phone: 978-420-3729
Address: 4 Summer St - room 309 - Haverhill, MA 01830
Backgrounder on the Creative Economy
“The most successful economies and societies in the twenty-first century will be creative ones.
The creative industries have moved from the fringes to the mainstream.”
Rt Hon Chris Smith, MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport., UK; 2001
The creative economy is defined as the sum of economic activity arising from a wide
variety of highly educated creative peoplefrom a diverse range of industries such as
technology, entertainment, journalism, finance, high-end manufacturing and the
arts.The logic is that attracting the “creative class” to the region will generate jobs,
tax revenue and a trickle down of benefits to all citizens.There is a close economic
relationship between the creative class and other business sectors such as tourism,
hospitality, heritage and sport.
The creative class is comprised of:
Publishing: Periodical, book, newspaper publishers
Film and Video: Motion picture and video production and distribution
Music: Record production and distribution,sound recording, music
publishers
Broadcasting: Cable networks, television and radio broadcasting, news
syndicates
Architecture: Residential, commercial and landscape architecture services
Applied Design: Specialized design, photographic services
Advertising:Agencies, direct mail, display
PerformingArts: Theater,dance,performingartscompaniesandmusicalgroups
Visual Arts: Museums, art dealers
Independent artists, writers and performers in creative industries
The creative economy represents interest in culture as a post-industrial urban
revitalization strategy.Policy-makers have realized that economic impacts are
magnified when a creative zone is bound spatially. This is how the planned cultural
district came into vogue.
1

2. Contact: Meghan Cary
Intern at Creative Haverhill
Email: Director@CreativeHaverhill.org
Phone: 978-420-3729
Address: 4 Summer St - room 309 - Haverhill, MA 01830
“Beginning with the 1983 landmark study by the Port Authority of NY and NJ, economic
impact studies have quantified the contribution of the nonprofit cultural sector to a regional
economy based on the multiplier effect of organizational and audience expenditures.”
“From Creative Economy to Creative Society” byMark J. Stern and Susan C. Seifert
Since receiving his PhD from Colombia Universityin 1986, economist and social
scientist Richard Florida has identified key driving forces for economic development
of post-industrialcities in the United States. Florida states, “Creativity is becoming
more valued in today’s global society. Employers see creativity as a channel for self-
expression and job satisfaction in their employees.”Florida asserts that metropolitan
regions with high concentrations of technology workers, artists, musicians, lesbians
and gay men, and a group he has named "high bohemians", have brought an increase
in economic development for the cities they reside in. Florida refers to these groups
collectively as the "creative class." He says that the creative class often departs from
traditional workplace attire and behavior, setting their own work schedule and
dress codes. Creative class members often are self-employed and highly regard
independence in the workplace. In 2002, Florida found that, “approximately 38.3
million Americans and 30 percent of the American workforce identify themselves
with the Creative Class. This number has increased by more than 10 percent in the
past 20 years.”
In Haverhill, formerly a shoe manufacturing mill town, a downtown revitalization
has begun with the conversion of abandoned mills into high-end residential,
commercial, and artist spaces. Two very successful examples are the Cordovan and
the Hayes buildings which have brought many new and young residents to this up-
and-coming community. Since these conversions have occurred, several new
2

3. Contact: Meghan Cary
Intern at Creative Haverhill
Email: Director@CreativeHaverhill.org
Phone: 978-420-3729
Address: 4 Summer St - room 309 - Haverhill, MA 01830
restaurants and businesses have been opened in the downtown neighborhood
bringing new tax revenue and increased income to Haverhill. Two newly formed
non-profit groups are Team Haverhill and Creative Haverhill whose focus is on
advocating the arts for the city.
Haverhill’s creative economy is continuing to thrive through the benefits of the
Adams Arts Program received from the Massachusetts State Legislature, dedicated
volunteers from the community, and the foresight of a mayor committed to the arts.
Since 2009 more than a dozen visual art pieces have been added to the downtown
space. The first community wide arts project,the “Shoe-La-Bration”,captured the
imagination of thousands of people who painted large ceramic shoes which are
located through the city. Public art displays like this continue to draw a large
audience to Haverhill and make it a more desirable community to call home.
-30-
3