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Richmond Creative Community |
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Written by Marie Thomas
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Launch of Creative Communities Program in Richmond
MONTPELIER – The statewide Creative Communities Program is coming to Richmond at the end of May. This program, part of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, works with communities to jumpstart their local creative economy. Participants have come from around the state, from Bellows Falls to the Lake Champlain Islands, and from communities with a range of backgrounds. Along with Richmond, Middlebury and Manchester are the most recent additions.
The creative economy perspective has gained considerable interest across Vermont and nationally in recent years. It presents an approach to economic development that uses cultural and community activities as key components of a strong local economy, not amenities added after the fact. Examples of past projects in other communities include making the downtown more welcoming to pedestrians, establishing a culture of sustainability through environmental initiatives, and creating incubator space.
Michael Hampton, Chair of Richmond’s process, emphasizes the strong foundation in place in the Richmond area. Hampton says that the local residents who first applied to the Creative Communities Program are “. . .excited about finding new ways to build on our unique character and our common heritage to foster and sustain creative economic activity in the Richmond Area.”
At the heart of the Creative Communities process is a series of three public forums that engage area residents in thinking about the creative economy, listing possible local projects, prioritizing projects, and forming action plans to put into place over the next several years. Richmond’s effort begins on Tuesday, May 22nd, from 6:30 – 9:00 pm at the Richmond Free Library.
Although the Creative Communities Program works in many different locations, the process is designed to let local people take the lead and set priorities that are specific to their town’s interests. The May 22nd forum in Richmond will begin with an introduction from Vermonters who have seen the creative economy at work in other communities that use culture, heritage, and innovative thinking to boost economic activity. The introduction will be followed by a facilitated discussion that invites everyone to share their ideas for projects in their local area. These ideas make up the foundation of all future work.
“The ‘creativity’ of the Creative Communities Program begins when community members start to think about what resources their community already has and what areas could use more work. . . and then pair that information with concrete project ideas. We accomplish all of that in the first forum, but it’s only successful if a diverse group shows up,” says Program Director Helen Labun Jordan.
Each of the comments received at the first forum will be recorded and everything will be included in a final report prepared by the Vermont Council on Rural Development. A second meeting on June 7th will narrow the list of ideas to three specific projects. These three become the focus of a final meeting on June 28th when project teams sit down with a visiting resource team to set clear action plans.
Previous participants in the Creative Communities Program have included Bellows Falls, Grand Isle County, Hardwick, Plainfield, Randolph, Rutland, St. Albans City, St. Johnsbury, and Windsor.
For information on the Creative Communities Program and to learn more about what other towns have done, please visit the Vermont Council on Rural Development website: http://www.vtrural.org.
Vermont Council on Rural Development
89 Main Street, PO Box 1384 Montpelier, Vermont 05601-1384
Contact: Helen Labun Jordan
Phone: (802) 223-3793 email:
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