ABOUT
The Creative City is dedicated to providing leadership and resources to grow O'ahu into a place where culture and arts play a major role in delivering quality of life for its people. In the spirit of partnership, we work with the arts community and the City and County of Honolulu to harness the power of art to achieve shared goals.
Supporting Culture and Arts on O'ahu
Arts and Culture Education. The Creative City believes the arts must be a part of every child’s life experience.
Artist Support. The Creative City will plant the seeds to grow a thriving and sustainable arts community.
Arts and Culture Initiatives. The Creative City is about bringing the arts to the people, and making O‘ahu a continuous gallery, where art is part of everyday life.
Inspired by Purpose
The arts are as important as infrastructure, City services and the environment in delivering quality of life for its citizens. To achieve its goals, The Creative City strives to:
Increase access to and opportunities in the arts; democratize art.
Bring the arts to the people, where the city becomes a constant gallery and part of everyday life.
Position culture and arts at the core of our community; part of every conversation.
Change how we think about culture and arts, as essential to quality of life.
Inject creativity into our process; change the way we do things.
Create a sustainable creative ecosystem, and continually challenge our imagination.
The Arts as Evidence-Based Solutions
Studies show that the arts positively impact diversity, health and wellness, education, employment and the economy.
Art is a platform for understanding different cultures.
45 minutes of creative activity, or even looking at art, boosts our brain function and immune system, and has a positive effect on mental health. (Journal of the American Art Therapy Association)
Music positively affects a child’s ability to focus, and helps the aging brain to remember. (National Institute of Health).
Children from low-income families who participate in the arts are more likely to earn a degree. (Arts Council of England/Evidence Review)
The arts help cities attract talent and foster innovation. (Economic Development Quarterly)
Every $1 spent in the cultural sector generates $6 in the local economy. (National Endowment for the Arts)
In a normal year, arts and cultural production in Hawaii adds $2.6 billion to the state’s economy. (National endowment for the Arts)
Founded on Passion and Partnership
The Creative City was founded by Karen Chang, wife of Rick Blangiardi, the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu. In evaluating the possibilities of how best to contribute her knowledge and experience to be a part of rebuilding the local economy during the 2020-2021 corona virus pandemic, Karen decided to lead an effort to reimagine culture and arts on O'ahu.
Much has been discussed about Hawaii’s over reliance on tourism and the subsequent lack of economic diversity. Karen believes that building on existing resources, such as culture and the arts, is both a doable and winnable strategy to address the difficult and elusive challenge of diversifying O'ahu’s economy.
Karen’s corporate and start-up experience provide the strategic thinking, insight and understanding to lead the effort to reimagine culture and arts on O‘ahu. Whether developing global marketing programs for American Express in New York or transforming Charles Schwab from a discount brokerage to a full-service investment firm in San Francisco, her unique skillset and ability to inspire, provide a solid foundation for success anywhere. More recently, Karen was board chair of Hawaii Pacific Health in Honolulu.