Now here’s a blast from the past. Robert Campbell produced this cultural assessment survey when the newly formed Norwalk Arts Commission was still trying to figure out what it wanted to be when it grew up. Since then, long after Jackie Lightfield resigned from chairing the organization, the Commission became an official commission, with appointments by the Mayor. But did anything change for the arts in Norwalk?

Here’s the key findings:

1. There is no comprehensive list of artists living in Norwalk
2. Having a staffed Commission would enable Norwalk to compete for regional and national funds to grow the creative economy.
3. A cultural district makes sense, and could provide better economic data in order to make decisions.
4. There is strong evidence that people who attend cultural events spend money at local businesses afterwords.

You can read the whole thing here.