Those and other goals added up to a blueprint for action, which will undergo refinement and planning at the next Salinas Arts Congress, set for March 17.  "Tonight is great. This is the beginning of everything for us," said Trish Sullivan, who led the proceedings. Sullivan, a Salinas artist, is the organizer of the monthly First Fridays art walks in Salinas. "I see the Salinas Arts Congress as a way for everyone to have a voice," she said. The congress stems from the Mayor's Arts Groups, formed in 2007 after Mayor Dennis Donohue's first town hall meeting aimed at softening the city's mean-street image. Donohue sees the arts as one means of achieving that goal, and the time for action on the arts front is now, he said. "Salinas is at a tipping point for the arts," Donohue told the gathering. The reasons to pursue the arts are many, said Steve Hoffman, executive director of the National Steinbeck Center, because the arts provide more than a decorative component to city life. "The arts relate to quality of life for everyone in a community," Hoffman said. Reasons are as fundamental as the health of the business community, he said. Studies show, for example, that the arts are key to recruiting and retaining workers from outside an area, Hoffman said. The best and the brightest workers, in other words, are more drawn to cities with vibrant arts scenes. People attending art events spark the economy by spending money on drinks, food, parking and babysitting, as well as up-front costs such as theater tickets. Schoolchildren exposed to the arts on a regular basis have better test scores, too, Hoffman said. "The brain needs activity, and art makes us think," said Laurie Myers, a teacher and artist from Salinas. "Besides, the arts are fun, and we need more fun things to do in this city." Ed Avila, a professional photographer and painter from Salinas, said the city's new emphasis on the arts and the arts congress has stirred excitement. "Tonight's event has potential," Avila said. Rojelio Viramontez, a dancer from Salinas, said the congress had already provided a valuable service by its attention to the business realities of sustaining an arts community. "I expect to see real progress out of this congress," Viramontez said.