Beyond Milk and Maple Syrup Vermont Taps Its Creative Economy

Author: Greg Duggan

If you thought that Vermont's economy subsisted solely on dairy products and maple syrup, think again. Creativity consists of a large chunk of the state's economy, as a forum hosted by the Vermont Culture on Culture and Innovation (VCCI) last Thursday proved.

Held at the Vergennes Opera House, the "Forum on Vermont's Creative Economy" brought together nearly 50 people, representing area towns such as Vergennes, Middlebury and Brandon. The participants included painters, managers of artist's guilds, museum workers, writers, an employee of BF Goodrich and members of the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. All of these jobs are classified as part of the creative sector of the state economy.

More than just artists and musicians, the creative economy includes anyone who must think creatively in his or her job, whether it be as a teacher, a scientist or an employee of a large business. According to Richard Florida, an economist from Carnegie Mellon University, people in the creative economy account for nearly a third of the jobs in the United States today.

VCCI formed about four months ago with a one-year mission of, in the words of Assistant Director Paul Costello, "building a strategic plan to advance the creative economy in the state of Vermont, to analyze the economic value, to pull together models that are successful in this area, to look at how organizations partner together, and the opportunity for getting a better return on investment and economic development by looking at those partnerships." Members of the council were asked to join because they already had experience with revitalizing towns, possessed knowledge and connections to federal resources, or because they were leaders in non-profit and private sector development and would have the ability to think about and contribute ideas on the issue.

Forums such as the one in Vergennes will be used to help VCCI learn about Vermont's creative economy from the people who work within it. (Another forum took place the previous night at Saint Michael's College, and four others will be held around the state in Manchester, Bellows Falls, Barre and Derby Line.)

During the two-hour forum, discussion touched on several issues pertinent to Vermont's creative economy. For example, people spoke about specific successes of the economy, ways to foster growth and how to make other people aware of its importance. From this perspective, the discussion often focused on and returned to the success of the Vergennes Opera House, cited many times as a perfect example of an important contributor to the creative economy.

To many, the Vergennes Opera House exemplifies a town's ability to restore a historical landmark in order to revitalize a town's culture and economy. Several years ago, when the decrepit building was near collapse, a group of local people raised over $1 million over four years. With that money, the group brought the Opera House back to life, transforming it into a vibrant center for theatre and the arts. The Vergennes economy has responded to the revitalization of the Opera House, and restaurants and shops now thrive from the increase of visitors to the town. Without the spark the reopening of the Opera House gave to the creative economy, the rest of the businesses in Vergennes would not be flourishing nearly as much as they are today.

Another popular example of creativity's influence on Vermont's economy was "The Really Really Pig Show," a community art project in Brandon organized by the Brandon Artists' Guild. The project featured forty sculpted pigs that were painted and then sold on eBay and at a town auction to raise money for Brandon. Like the Opera House, the project combined art and the community and has helped spark cultural interest and growth in the town.

While examples of success certainly exist in the creative economy, the sector faces many challenges as well. The discussion brought up complaints about the lack of support from the state and the difficulty of uniting the independent workers and small businesses that comprise the majority of the creative economy. One woman even mentioned the problem caused by the country's Immigration and Naturalization Services when a town or museum would like to bring in international artists to work and inspire art and culture in a town. The discussion also covered the challenges faced by schools, which are absolutely crucial to cultivating art and creative thinking but which often lose art programs before any other subjects during hard times.

The forum ended with a dialogue about where to take the creative economy and how to help its growth in Vermont. Ideas ranged from having the state open an artists' high school to convincing state and local officials, as well as other citizens, of the importance of the creative economy. To achieve this, one person suggested tabulating specific numbers and facts which indicate the importance and effects of culture and the arts on the economy.

While the creative economy includes business people who must think outside the box in their everyday jobs, the discussion at the forum focused mainly on the more traditional aspects of the creative economy, such as artists and cultural movements.

Costello acknowledged the difficulty in making people see that all companies need "to be creative and responsive all the time to make changes, to fit the economy, to redesign, to retool." Even so, initiating discussion about the importance of the creative economy remains essential as well. By the time VCCI submits its report to the state next summer, it hopes to have found ways to emphasize the importance of all segments of Vermont's creative economy.