In a poll that generated the closest results in recent memory, our weekly reader poll asked, “How vital are the arts to a growing community like Maricopa?”
The votes were nearly evenly divided among our three responses, with just 4.3 percentage points separating them, although responses to the first two questions indicate that 68.8 percent said they appreciate the arts as an amenity in the community.
The number one response was, “They’re a valued quality of life amenity, that, along with a performing arts venue, help employers attract and keep high-quality people,” came in at 36.5%.
Just behind at 32.3% was, “I appreciate them but wouldn’t move away if there were no vibrant performing arts community.”
And the final response, that they are “not all that important,” checked in at 31.2%.
The city supports several arts initiatives, the most high profile being City Manager Rick Horst’s Maricopa Wild Horses Art Project.
Other arts events include Art for the Heart, a Charity fine art/craft show at Copper Sky; the Maricopa Unified School District’s partnership with Artsfest; and Spring and Fall performances coordinated by community groups including Maricopa Community Theatre, Desert Sun Performing Arts, Maricopa Chorus and Maricopa Visual Arts, and the Maricopa Arts Council.
