October is National Arts and Humanities Month and one organization in Jefferson believes the community has lots of examples of that all year round.

Tower View Team Chair Deb McGinn says the national theme for this year’s Arts and Humanities Month is “The Arts Within You.” She tells Raccoon Valley Radio the theme aims to inspire active participation in instilling positive change while also promoting a vibrant inclusive society through the arts.

“The act of creating something is empowering, exciting, and here in Jefferson bringing public art downtown has really gotten Jefferson noticed throughout the state and at the national level.

From the examples of rooftop art on some of the downtown businesses buildings, to sculptures on the Greene County Courthouse grounds with the Ring Out for Art contest, the three downtown alleyways with their creative artistic spaces, along with professional artists and musicians, McGinn points out that art in Jefferson can go beyond public enjoyment.

“So it’s a really big deal. Art is instrumental in promoting our community if you’re trying to bring in tourists, which we are trying to do all the time. Because tourists, they’ll spend their money when they’re here, which helps our small businesses, our restaurants, and our tourist attractions. And some even have visited here and have even decided to move here, which is pretty exciting to become permanent residents. So we view art that we do all through the year as a driver of economic development for our community.”       

McGinn is proud of the public art that is on display now and she is planning for more public art to soon become visible in Jefferson.