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July 2011 a resource from the NHBCA
NH Creative Communities Connections
Highlighting the arts and a vital economy partnership
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Greetings!
Many states are undertaking efforts to brand themselves as "the creative place", but it's naturally New Hampshire's prominent role. You'll find New Hampshire featured in National News below as well as in Best Practices. We can learn from activity in other areas of the country but we should also recognize, understand, appreciate and nuture what we have going on right here. NH Creative Communities Connections is meant to inspire creative economy connections, portray the richness of creative New Hampshire, prompt new projects, legitimize the importance of creativity, and publicize how the results advance our communities and our state as a whole. Please let us know what you find useful and what you would like to see more of. And of course, share your success stories with us so that we may highlight your work and pass it along as a best practice. Sincerely, 
Joan Goshgarian, NH Business Committee for the Arts
joan@nhbca.com |
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Guest Article:
BIG Art, Big Attention
by Nathan Walker
In early 2009, the members of Art-Speak's Overnight Art committee graciously chose my design of a Giant Metal Ant to become a temporary part of Portsmouth's unique and colorful community. My finished ant sculpture, which stood at about nine feet tall, was immediately embraced by both locals and tourists alike. It seemed people actually enjoyed having a giant metal creature roaming the city landscape! And when the ant finally came down, there were plenty of offers from people ready to adopt him.
Eager to make more public art, my next sculptures were two metal jellyfish for the Recycled Art show at the Portsmouth Library. Using discarded scuba tanks for the jellyfish bodies, I found that form truly does fit function. Next I decided to go BIG again, building a ten foot tall Giant Blue Crab! This sculpture, with a VW Beetle hood for its shell, now resides in front of the Children's Museum of New Hampshire.
Sharing my experience as an artist and helping students understand their own creative process, is another passion of mine - which next led me to participate in several Artist in Residency programs. Working with these amazing young artists not only helped me to give back to the community, but fueled my own sense of artistic purpose.
Most recently, I was privileged enough to have my art highlighted on New Hampshire Chronicle. The TV story followed my work as an artist, but focused on a recent sculpture commission - a Giant Praying Mantis, made mostly of recycled metal.
The artistic journey I travel has certainly had its ups and downs over the years, but I consider myself extremely fortunate to have crossed paths with an amazing organization, such as Art-Speak. They nurtured my creative vision, and gave me the chance to show the world just what I can do!
~ Nathan Walker is a Seacoast artist. |
National News:
American Planning Association and NH's M. Christine Dwyer Partner in Utilizing Arts Strategies
 As part of a collaborative project with the RMC
Research Corporation and with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, APA's Planning and Community Health Research Center developed a series of briefing papers to illustrate how planners use arts and culture strategies to achieve economic, social, environmental, and community goals.
The first briefing paper provides a comprehensive definition and overview of the arts, culture, and creativity field. The remaining four papers use a variety of case studies and examples from the planning and arts and culture fields to provide a brief overview of how arts and culture contribute to: community heritage and culture, community character and sense of place, community engagement, and economic vitality.
Click here for the series of briefing papers |
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Best Practices
Catch, Concord Area Trust for Community Housing is embracing the creative community of Concord by designating half of its units at its Mennino Place development as affordable housing for artists. To learn more about Mennino Place click here. To view the floor plan and management company contact click here.
Arts and Economic Prosperity survey
Two NH communities have contracted with the Americans for the Arts to conduct a local study to quantify the broad economic impact of arts and cultural activities.
To see the results of recent NH surveys:
In the Monadnock Region
In Portsmouth
Cultural Plans/Master Plans
Many of NH communities have developed cultural plans. Some of these have been adopted or included in their respective city or town master plan. For more information or to view a sample, contact the NHBCA at arts@nhbca.com
National Samples of Live Work Space for artists
www.artspace.org/properties/live_work.html
CultureCount is NEFA's creative economy database. Visitors can search a comprehensive directory of New England's cultural nonprofits, creative businesses, and individual artists. Other financial, grants, and geographic tools are built onto the directory.
If you know of a best practice that others would be interested in please let us know at arts@nhbca.com
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Regional and National Resources
National Endowment for the Arts Announces New Research on the Value Added by Cultural Industries. Cultural industries are economic powerhouses and states have the data to prove it, according to a new analysis from the NEA. This is the latest in a series of NEA research notes to look at different ways to assign value to the arts. The NEA research note is available for download in the Research section of arts.gov.
Arts and Culture Data for Planning and Economic Development Professionals:
Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, RMC Research Corporation examined the perspectives of planning and economic development professionals on the utility of different types of arts and cultural data. Findings about collecting and presenting cultural data more effectively appear in this report . Americans for the Arts Creative Industries Report: Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts reports continue to offer a research-based approach to understanding the scope and importance of the arts to the nation's economy. While most economic impact studies of the arts have focused on the nonprofit sector (such as our own studies), is the first national study that encompasses both the nonprofit and for-profit arts industries. Click here to view the reports University of Minnesota: Ann Markusen, professor, is the director of the Institute's Project on Regional and Industrial Economics. Currently, her research focuses on occupational approaches to regional development and on artists and cultural activity as regional economic stimulants. http://www.hhh.umn.edu/projects/prie/pub.html Artspace: Artspace's mission is to create, foster, and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations. This mission is pursued through development projects, asset management activities, consulting services, and community-building activities that serve artists and arts organizations of all disciplines, cultures, and economic circumstances. By creating this space, Artspace supports the continued professional growth of artists and enhances the cultural and economic vitality of the surrounding community. www.artspace.org New England Foundation for the Arts: NEFA strengthens and supports the creative sector not only as a grantmaker, but also by providing tools and information which build the intellectual assets of the cultural community. NEFA's research and knowledge-sharing inform cultural decision-making and program development, and ultimately, enhance public understanding of how the arts contribute to the vitality of communities. The Creative Economy: A New Definition www.nefa.org Berkshire Creative [MA]: The mission of Berkshire Creative is to stimulate new job growth and economic opportunity in the region by sparking innovative collaborations between artists, designers, cultural institutions and businesses. Click www.berkshirecreative.org for a list of initiatives.
Americans for the Arts: Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. From offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it serves more than 150,000 organizational and individual members and stakeholders. www.artsusa.org
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 You Should Know...
NH Film and Television Office
The New Hampshire Film & Television Office , as part of the New Hampshire Department of Cultural Resources, promotes media production with the state. Director Matt Newton told us this story, "I had an independent film, THE A PLATE, written and directed by NH filmmaker Terre Weisman, that was shooting in Nashua a year ago. They were filming scenes at a car dealership that had closed its doors. When the project was getting ready to film, they needed to first clean the closed dealership, and they hired a local cleaning company, Wendi's Cleaning Service of Milford, NH, to do the job. They had also hired Stephen D'Angelo from Only Catering in Nashua to prepare meals for the cast and crew. When the production wrapped, I received calls from both local companies that had said they were so happy to have been hired by a film production--and that the business certainly helped. They had never thought of being used in the film industry before and wanted to get listed in our production directory for consideration for future filming opportunities. Stephen also said that he was going to create a special menu now for catering productions. It's been great to see these ancillary businesses getting connected with the film industry here."
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Guest Article:
Creative Placemaking
An excerpt of remarks delivered by NHBCA Chairman Barry Brensinger at the 2011 Business in the Arts Awards
Shaping space and building community are essential elements of my work as an architect, so I am particularly interested in this evening's message.
In recent years we've heard much about the concept of the creative economy. And, in our cities and towns from all four corners of New Hampshire we've seen communities enhanced by the fusion of economic strength and cultural vitality.
Creative Placemaking more deeply integrates arts and culture into the daily life of a community. Through Creative Placemaking a diversity of community interests collaborate to celebrate their collective resources, values, and passion for life. It is a way for us to show the world that our communities are places where life is enriched by the arts.
And, indeed, the best examples of Creative Placemaking teach us that not only can a "place" inform and inspire art, but that in turn "art" shapes and informs place.
Creative Placemaking adds dimension to life by engaging us in art, nurturing innovation, and celebrating community. While the technologies of the modern world enable us to live almost anywhere and remain "connected", we continue to be drawn to those communities we "choose" to call "home" in large part because of their investment in the arts and culture.
We can all be proud that so many New Hampshire communities are taking important steps toward incorporating Creative Placemaking into their planning efforts. A sampling of this good work includes:
- Newmarket Mills: A center for the arts and heritage in Newmarket's historic mill district that is combining retail and space for the arts as a means of bringing citizens together to enjoy the visual and performing arts.
- Another revitalized mill, the Washington Street Mills Business and Cultural Center in Dover has cultivated a vibrant community of businesses and artists. This "place" retains its historic character, while providing commodious space for offices, restaurants, manufacturers, retailers, and an artists' colony complete with gallery.
- Nashua Arts is building on the Gate City's strong tradition of supporting the arts by promoting accessibility to art through public art walks, gallery strolls, film festivals and public performances.
- Upper Valley Arts Alliance honors the bi-state culture of its communities, giving its vibrant arts scene a cohesive voice on both sides of the Connecticut River.
- And in Concord, examples of Creative Placemaking in downtown life continue to thrive. Each Saturday, the Concord Arts market brings the community together to celebrate the talents of local artists. This summer a new development on South Main Street will open, offering office space, galleries, and live/work space for artists, thereby continuing the transformation of the City's south end into a thriving arts district.
More and more our cities and towns are embracing the truth that artists and their art are essential to vital community. Read Barry's remarks in their entirety.
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Creative Community Feature:
AANH leads the White Mountain Cultural Festival: Eight Days of Weeks Takes Place in August
Throughout 2011 the Arts Alliance is working with its members and with partners around the state on collaborative programming celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Weeks Act. This important federal legislation - named after Lancaster native John Wingate Weeks - allowed the Forest Service to purchase private land and turn it into public forest, including the White Mountain National Forest.
Among cultural activities being planned to celebrate the Centennial is "Eight Days of Weeks," a White Mountains Cultural Festival set for the four weekends of August.
Arts presenters, libraries, museums and historical societies, conservation and environmental organizations, creative and hospitality businesses, schools, summer camps, youth groups and community clubs - as well as individual artists and artist groups - are participating in this collaborative effort.
More information can be found at Arts Alliance or the Weeks Legacy web sites.
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Endowment for Health
The Endowment for Health, the state's largest health foundation, set out to produce its 2010 Annual Report facing a daunting task: to create a cover that depicted all of our statewide work in one image. The answer came through the use of an artist who it located after the NHBCA pointed them in the direction of the NH Creative Club. There they found illustrator Jim Roldan who created a compressed New Hampshire landscape containing a montage of people from all walks of life. Karen Ager, director of communications said, "In one image, the artist captured all of our funding priorities and also conveyed the foundation's role in public policy - all while emphasizing our mission to improve the health of New Hampshire's people. A picture truly IS worth a thousand words and this one illustration garnered us as many accolades." |
What IS the Creative Economy?
The Creative Economy encompasses creative enterprises in both commercial and nonprofit sectors and individuals that together provide a significant contribution to local and regional economies by creating and distributing cultural goods and services. It includes occupations and industries that focus on the production and distribution of cultural goods, services and intellectual property. Find out more about the Creative Economy.
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Funding to develop NH Creative Communities Connections was provided by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. |
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Thank You to Our Sponsors
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| The NHBCA was formed to educate motivate and recognize business support of and participation in the arts. In 2000 the NHBCA worked with the New England Council and the New England Foundation for the Arts to launch their Creative Economy Initiative. Since then, the NHBCA has been involved with the formations of various local creative economy formations, has promoted the economic value of creativity, and has made presentations to business and economic development groups. The NHBCA launched NH Creative Communities Connections to centralize information and promote the value of the creative economy by providing a resource of information, ideas and projects that will further enhance the creative communities of NH. Email arts@nhbca.com www.nhbca.com |
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