There are some great organizations that can assist you. The Public Art Network of the Americans for the Arts is the primary professional networking tool for professional public artists and professional public art adminstrators. There is an extensive online database of listserv questions and responses and white papers. There is also a section specifically on the economic impact of the arts. http://www.americansforthearts.org/information_services/research/services/economic_impact/default.asp

Also, Forecast Public Art, based in the twin cities is a great resource. I subscribe to their print magazine and their website has interesting projects and data, including a 'how-to' tool kit. http://forecastpublicart.org/

I hope this helps you. Good luck!

The American Planning Association has a very good link http://www.planning.org/research/arts/briefingpapers/vitality.htm ; this source is long but very comprehensive http://www.scribd.com/doc/55398621/42/ORGANIZATIONAL-STRUCTURE-AND-CHARTS .

St. Louis, Spokane and Tacoma have very good municipal arts commissions.

We (Suwanee, GA) established a public arts commission about four years ago and believe it's a crucial link to our overall economic development strategy. Please feel free to contact our Economic & Community Development Director, Denise Brinson, at 770-945-8996 or denise@suwanee.com.

great to see you Matt. Check out Sedona, AZ, Jerome AZ and Tubac AZ as great examples of arts and economic development

The City of Dubuque has had a Arts Commission for many years. We were just a national pilot city for a study on how the arts affect the local economy and the results were astounding. We also have an annual grant program and an annual sculpture competition where we place 10 sculptures on our riverwalk rotating out each year. Please contact either Arts and Cultural Affairs Coordinator Jan Stoffel (janstoff@cityofdubuque.org) or Neighborhood Development Specialist Jerelyn O'Connor (joconnor@cityofdubuque.org) @ 563-589-4110 or check out the study on our web-site, www.cityofdubuque.org. You can reach me at ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org or at the same phone number.