Artown and its business partners have an essential obligation and inspirational opportunity in 2009. As our community faces an economic downturn, it is our social responsibility to enlighten and inspire those who live in and choose to visit Reno during July. For one-twelfth of the year, Artown offers more than 350 events for an entire month with an average of 7 FREE every day. Artown and its partners reach everyone in our community regardless of age, economic and ethnic differences. Through this diverse and far reaching event, the arts will entertain, educate and connect constituents with one another and their community. 
Recent research demonstrates that during the Great Depression, the arts thrived. The arts provided Americans an opportunity to laugh and be entertained while their real lives were in disarray. The arts provided an historical biography of the American lifestyle during the 1930’s and became essential to the American quality of life. Several art forms were born out of the depression and catapulted the arts and its technology into the future. Novels written during this period explored what was happening in the country; John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Dr. Seuss are some examples of those whose literary works impacted Americans then and now. In music, the big band era shone with greats such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Glen Miller entertaining and inviting Americans to forget their hardships for a few hours as people flocked to dance halls. During the same time, Broadway produced some of the most famous musicals. George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin wrote musicals and songs that are still being performed and played today. In 1931 Congress designated “The Star Spangled Banner” as the national anthem. In 1935 George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess” was performed for the first time. Kate Smith sang Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” in 1938. Radio’s popularity peaked during this decade. By 1938 approximately 80 percent of Americans owned radios and listened to comedians Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen to name just a few. Soap operas dominated daytime listening and the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet entertained young listeners. Radio was key for news broadcasting and Franklin Roosevelt used the radio to broadcast his “Fireside Chats” and influence listeners. In 1938, a young Orson Wells broadcast the H.G. Wells story “War of the Worlds.” Theater, in addition to Broadway musicals, found new audiences and playwrights found their way into people’s lives. Works performed ranged from Lillian Hellmann’s “The Children’s Hour” to Eugene O’Neill’s “Anna Christy” and “Mourning Becomes Electra,” for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1936. Films from the 1930’s are often described as the “Golden Age” of movies featuring stars such as Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo and Errol Flynn. John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath brought the Great Depression to the screen while Walt Disney produced Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the first ever full-length animated movie. Other significant artists of the movie genre included Shirley Temple, the Marx Brothers and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
One can only hope that our economy will not see such a drastic downturn. However, it is at times like these that the arts become an essential part of the American lifestyle. Artown will keep people’s optimism alive and inspire them to come downtown and support local businesses while enjoying quality of life. Supporting Artown is more important now than ever before.