Create West Virginia

Creativity...It's All Over Us!

One of my favorite lines from the kids movie Madagascar is from Melman, the hypochondriac giraffe: "Nature! It's all over me!"

Well, I just felt the need to report this morning that creativity is all over West Virginia. A year ago the Creative Communities team was wrangling over the final edits of the white paper "Culture, Creativity and Innovation - West Virginia and the New Economy." (Have you read it yet? If not, please download it from createwv.com's home page, read it, let us know what you think...and please pass it along to your friends!)

Now, a year later and many, many conversations and presentations later, we feel a sense of action and excitement all over the state. People in West Virginia are beginning to embrace how great we have it here. We're inviting others to join us, and former residents to return. We're charting new creative visions for our towns, cities and counties. And it's happening!

• Tomorrow in Beckley, the 4C Economic Development Association is holding their first "Create WV Summit" at Tamarack - and over 65 local leaders and citizens are signed up to learn and share their creative visions. (Want to attend? Call 304-254-8115 or email bepperson@4ceda.org.
• Today in Sutton at Cafe Cimino, over 20 artists and cultural advocates are meeting to determine how Create WV can support their community and include them in charting West Virginia's creative course. (Sorry, this one is a sellout! But if there is interest, we can hold more in other regions.)
• We see big dreams and tangible plans being developed in Glenville, St. Mary's, Ripley, Elkins, Buchannon, Huntington, and other great WV communities.
• Bucks for Brains has passed the legislature, and we will have a major new infusion of research investments available through our two major universities to spark new economy job growth. (Smaller colleges and universities are on the move as well...see Concord University's new high-tech small business incubator building, the Rahall Technology Center).
• Come Home to WV has launched and will get stronger over time, inviting many talented ex-pats who have gained valuable experience to bring their talents home to invest.
• We see entrepreneurs purchasing historic old downtown buildings in Oak Hill and other communities, turning them into LEED-certified, green-friendly business incubators.
• We see Generation WV launching a new community for young professionals, and the YES Network providing new support for young entrepeneurs. We see the Leadership WV folks scheduled to learn about the New Econony in their May 15-16 session, and about Create WV in their October session at White Sulphur Springs.

This is an exciting time to be in West Virginia. If you're as excited as we are, please continue to spread the word. Get more people plugged in via createwv.com. We're over 1,200 strong so far...but we need to double that this spring and summer.

Schedule a Create WV Summit in your community (just contact us at createwv@visionshared.com). Get trained to build a Create WV New Economy Growth Plan (that's available too, just contact us!).

West Virginia - A Great Place to Create! Pass it on...

Artist Conversation at Cimino Filled!

Dear Friend of Art and Create WV –

We are pleased to announce that we quickly filled all of the available space at Café Cimino for this Wednesday’s session on shaping the Create West Virginia 2008 Conference. 

Interest in being part of this group was much higher than anticipated, and it is encouraging to us as we move forward in the planning process.   We will continue to look for additional forums to discuss Create West Virginia and hope that you will have an opportunity to be part of this initiative going forward.

All registered participants have received reading meeting preparation materials, agenda, and directions.  We have heard in multiple conversations that there may be many people planning to “drop by” on Wednesday but who are not registered.  We are again thrilled with the response, but we are unable to accommodate anyone who has not registered due to space and materials limitations at this point.  If you forwarded information about this event to others, please follow up with this email as well.  We do not want anyone to travel to Sutton and be disappointed.

If you aren’t certain that you have a space reserved for Wednesday, please e-mail me at jandegaucher@suddenlink.net.  I will add your name and contact information to the interest list, and it will help us plan for a larger venue next time, as well has help us keep you in the loop about Create WV.

Many thanks!  And please do send me your email address for future events.

The Power of Third Places for Attracting Young People

Sitting here in the Cathedral Cafe, you might think you were in the Pacific Northwest at perhaps a hip coffee shop hangout in Portland or Seattle. But no, you would be here in Fayetteville, WV, in the nerve center of the whitewater rafting, rock climbing and general "extreme sports" capital of the state.

Energizing rock music blares from the speakers, joining with caffeine to wake you up for an exciting day in one of America's "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns" as designated by Budget Travel. It's frankly rare to see such an encouraging sign of energetic youth outside of one of West Virginia's college campuses.

Techies talk about their latest router project. Whitewater guides discuss the upcoming season and the recent merger of several outfitter companies. Artists and musicians share inspiration. It's what you would expect to see, hear and smell in the nerve center of a vibrant community. The energy acts as a magnet, drawing more young people to develop relationships and stick around this great town.

Where is the strategic "third place" in your community? Where do young people, or a mix of generations, hang out to connect, share ideas and get each other excited about the future?

Marketing West Virginia to the Creative Class

Richard Florida, the academic who captured the data and created the nomenclature of the "creative class" to start a new way of thinking about economic development, has a new book out - Who's Your City? How the Creative Economy is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life. From a reviewer on Amazon.com:

In "Who's Your City", Florida goes in two directions. First he lays the groundwork, expanding on his research of a clustering force of creative people that is making some regions economic and cultural winners. He explores the emerging "Mega-regions" (Bos-Wash, Northern California, Greater London) that are replacing nations as the organizing force of economic activity. He also plays with the idea that cities have personalities that attract different kinds of people.

Florida's work often seems to throw a wet blanket on the potential of small towns and rural America. The data and opinions offered seem to indicate that all the innovation and "cool", creative people are to be found in the world's largest cities.

Is this true? Are small communities destined to be road kill on the road to new economy success?

There are certainly many hurdles for rural regions to overcome to develop the clusters of creative people, innovative mindsets and R&D resources found in major cities and academic centers. Many small towns historically relied on agriculture, extractive industry, and to a smaller extent, manufacturing (although most major manufacturing has also been found in the larger urban areas). Urban centers have always seemed to pull the best and brightest towards them to rub shoulders with other ambitious young innovators.

But at some point, I believe the "creative class" has to be seen less as a monolithic group that is always seeking the same things: progressive politics, cutting-edge avant garde art and the latest new clubs and coffee shops. Surely there are creative thinkers and innovators who tend to value family life, small town values, the outdoors and long-term social bonds?

Perhaps West Virginia's creative class niche is not the new college graduate who needs to sharpen her saw in a major metro to build her skills before deciding where to really build a life. Perhaps West Virginia is the place for those who have proven themselves and are ready to build a family. To give back to a community who needs their skills and passion for innovation. Or, perhaps West Virginia is the place for young, single people with a passion for the outdoors and making a difference in the world.

At last week's Leadership WV Conference in Morgantown, Cam Marston spoke about managing people across the generational divide. The audience was asked to brainstorm on the obstacles and ideas to overcome them required to attract new, young talent to West Virginia. The obvious points were made -  our low cost of living, our safety, our friendliness. Unfortunately, few of these credentials are high on the list of the most highly educated, ambitious individuals seeking fame and fortune in their new creative careers.

However, the uniqueness of state's challenges - yes, turning our perceived negatives into positives - came up as a possible selling point. Young people who want to make a difference - to make a life - are in fact attracted to West Virginia. Combine that cross-section of people with those who are attracted to extreme sports like whitewater rafting and rock climbing, and maybe we have ourselves a target market. In fact, we see this very thing in the case study we often refer to at Weld in Fayetteville, WV, where 9 out of their 10 employees (all young people, by most definitions) are from out of state. They have come because they love the Gorge, and they want to build something new and meaningful.

The question for WV is - is that niche big enough? And can we get our message together quickly and effectively enough to draw them here in the numbers we need for our economic future to finally turn? Can we infuse enough creative class energy and opportunity into our story to ignite a broad invitation to "come home to West Virginia?"

I believe we have to start telling our story more aggressively and creatively outside our own borders. The tourism industry has been building West Virginia's image in surrounding states for several years now. Now it's time for us to put out the invitation and welcome mat to live and create here. It's an invitation that's not just for our ex-patriates, but for newcomers as well. West Virginia is a great place to create. Come and create a life in West Virginia!

Berkeley Springs #7 Arts Destination in U.S.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV ---- The list of top art destinations in America released recently by American Style magazine places Berkeley Springs, WV at #7 among small cities and towns, the smallest in population of the top 25. “It’s our seventh year on the list and we’re at #7, back in the top 10,” says Jeanne Mozier, local arts promoter. “It all seems magical.”

Sante Fe and Asheville top the list but Berkeley Springs ranked higher than many notable places including Boulder and Aspen, Colorado; Sarasota, Florida and Annapolis, Maryland. “Berkeley Springs continues to be the only town in West Virginia to make the list,” says Mozier.

The list is compiled from votes cast by the public. Berkeley Springs competes in the category of under 100,000 population. The complete list in all three size categories can be found on the magazine’s Website: americanstyle.com .

Berkeley Springs making a national list has benefits beyond bragging rights. “Many visitors come to Berkeley Springs specifically because it is known as an art town. They seek out the galleries and want to know where there is live music,” says Laura Smith, administrator of Travel Berkeley Springs, the local visitors center. “We start getting calls in March wanting to know who is performing during the summer concerts in the park.”

Mozier asserts that being a nationally recognized art town also has an impact on economic development since individuals and companies looking to relocate seek out places with a rich cultural scene. “Being known as a creative town is one of the most important assets Berkeley Springs has to compete in the new economy,” she says.

Mary Hott, Executive Director of the Morgan Arts Council (MAC) has been fielding requests for help from other places. “The Benedum Foundation suggested that we might want to put together a presentation for other towns who want to be ‘just like Berkeley Springs.’ That was their phrase, not mine,” says Hott, “and we just received a request from Berryville, Virginia to meet with a team and help them develop an arts presence there.” Other recognition has come from Create West Virginia which considers Berkeley Springs a model for the state, and the national Boomtown Institute which highlights the town for its success in using the arts for economic development.

“There are many pieces to the local art scene,” says Mozier, listing activities MAC stages at the Ice House, local commercial galleries like Mountain Laurel and Heath Gallery, groups like the Delectable Mountain Quilters and Concerts on the Hill and regular music venues like Tari’s Jam Night and weekends at the Troubadour. “When you consider percent of population engaged in the arts either as participants or audience, Berkeley Springs probably scores higher than Sante Fe,” she says, “maybe even New York.”

Mozier describes what she claims is a regular occurrence. “On almost any given day at the Ice House there can be play rehearsals, afterschool art classes and a gallery show being set up. Add to that group of 50 or so people rehearsals in town for the community choirs or music ensembles and people shopping in galleries and it adds up to impressive art density. That doesn’t even consider what happens on weekends when there are big audience events.”

As with major metropolitan areas that include large budget items for cultural development, widespread public and corporate financial support is a key part of Berkeley Springs’ success. “Corporate sponsors, foundation and government grant funders, and local donors especially to MAC are as essential to the thriving art scene as the artists,” says Mozier. “Investing money in the arts and arts organizations shows the value placed on the contribution the arts make to life.”

For more information on Morgan County arts activities check http://www.macicehouse.org or call 304-258-2300.

Broadband Has Changed My Life

The following is a reprinted article from Lisa Minney, publisher of Two Lane Livin', Central WV's coolest new lifestyle publication and web site:

I remember a time, about twelve years ago, when I was grateful to have Internet service, any Internet service. I felt fortunate to even have dial-up. Although I had access to the Internet on a T-1 line at work, at my rural home in Wirt County, dial-up just -- didn’t exist yet.

When we moved to rural Mason County, I was excited to sign up for a connection that moved at a miserable crawl.

When we returned to rural Gilmer County, I was pleased to discover I actually had maximum dial-up speeds, and no disconnects. I felt I was, for several years after that, one of the lucky few in West Virginia who had reliable dial-up service at both home and work.

And then, the world went high-speed. I don’t even know how long broadband was out there before I even knew it existed, but by the time I found out -- the world, the Internet was far ahead of any of my capabilities. I was technically disabled again. When Youtube was commonplace in the world, I was tortured by miserably long downloads. When Netflix offered free movie downloads in addition to our three-at-a-time hard copies through the mail, I actually felt pain -- real pain.

I thought I’d try it, you know, to download an entire movie via dial-up... Hours passed. Continuous time where my computer CPU just clickedy-clacked, as if it was straining its mental torque to pull the data in. It hurt me to listen to it, and was an endless, miserable wait. When I finished downloading the download-it program and the movie, for some unknown reason, it didn’t work anyway.

And then one day, by some miracle, broadband came to Stumptown, West Virginia. The telephone line repair guy called me from the station at the end of our road. He had just finished installing broadband service for our area. Did I want it?

I almost drove 2.25 miles (just under two as the crow flies) to kiss the man. Within a week, Frontier Communications likely had orders from every 354-phone-number (Calhoun service) in Stumptown. Our nearby 462-phone-number Verizon neighbors (Gilmer service) were not so fortunate.

Less than two years later, Frank and I launched Two-Lane Livin’ magazine. Without high-speed Internet access, Two-Lane Livin’ wouldn’t be possible. Large images, large uploads, large files, email coming and going almost constantly... If broadband wasn’t available in Stumptown, West Virginia, you wouldn’t be reading this.

Literally, this is the Two-Lane Livin’ perspective of the Gilmer/Calhoun example cited recently on a popular blog maintained by Create WV. The entry is in response to the recent release of the map of West Virginia's broadband coverage developed by Connect West Virginia. Connect West Virginia is creating detailed maps of broadband coverage in West Virginia to accurately pinpoint gaps in the state.

In a state where it is commonplace to complain about Internet Service with full justification, someone has taken the lead to research the situation and develop partnerships to improve the situation, and Two-Lane Livin’ joins hundreds in the state to applaud their efforts.

To make their maps as accurate as possible, Connect West Virginia is asking for input: if you don’t have broadband service yet, if you want to test your broadband speed, if broadband has changed your life.

Can broadband change a life? Can it spark a new business, can it create new connections that make the impossible possible? Can broadband actually make dreams come true?

Ab-so-lutely.

You’re reading the proof on your screen.

~ Lisa Minney

New Arts Venues Energize Communities

We are always on the lookout for exciting new artistic and cultural initiatives and venues, so please let us know when you find one. New arts venues that we are very excited about include:

• The RiffRaff Arts Collective, Princeton, WV - [From their web site]: The RiffRaff Arts Collective is based in a 10,000 square foot, multi-purpose creative zone which features a fine art gallery, artist studios and a live performance venue.  Core artists work within the space and show their work in the storefront gallery. The Room Upstairs, a beautifully restored turn of the century ballroom, plays host to weekly music gatherings and a variety of after-school performing arts programs. The Studios on Two area is home to five newly remodeled studio spaces and a spacious gathering area which hosts artist networking groups and meetings. Located in downtown Princeton, West Virginia, the RiffRaff Arts Collective is breathing life back into a once depressed downtown area. With new businesses sprouting up all over Mercer Street, there is hope for a bright and prosperous renaissance in this small West Virginia town.
• Callen McJunkin Gallery, Charleston, WV - Located at the Loft at 419 Hale St, Callen McJunkin's new gallery is breathing more creative life into downtown Charleston. The gallery will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and anytime by appointment. 
• Jeff Fetty of Roane County has an international reputation for his artistry in metal. He has acquired new space for his Leaning Oak Forge operation and has plans for an artists' colony in Spencer.
• Gary Bowling has opend his House of Art in downtown Bluefield. Says Bluefield Mayor Linda Whalen: "We're very excited about this opening. We have wonderfully artistic talent in our city and this gallery will serve as an excellent showcase for their work....This is a great way to show people the talent we have in the city."   

Congratulations and good luck to all these new creative endeavors!

A Look Into West Virginia's Connectivity Challenges

The much-anticipated map of West Virginia's broadband coverage developed by the Connect West Virginia organization, a subsidiary non-profit group of Connected Nation, in partnership with the state's telecommunications vendors and with leadership from the Governor's Office and volunteers, is now available. For the first time, many folks around the state can get a good idea of how connected (or, in many cases, disconnected) their county really is. This shines a light onto what kind of focused effort it will take for Governor Manchin's goal of 100% connectivity across West Virginia by 2010 to become a reality.

As expected, most "urban" areas of West Virginia show extensive coverage. However, many rural counties have nowhere near the accessibility to DSL or cable broadband that today's 21st Century economy demands. There are some oddities as well. For example, Calhoun County, a very rural county in Central WV, shows extensive coverage, while neighboring Gilmer County, home of Glenville State College and one of the two counties in the "Gilmer-Braxton Technology Research" zone, shows barely any coverage outside of Glenville.

One of the most important elements of the interactive map available on the Connect West Virginia site is the opportunity to provide feedback. We encourage everyone across the state to share their concerns and desire for better coverage so that telecom vendors can step up and fill the demand. With no concerted voice regarding demand for these services, vendors tend to be slow in applying investment to rural areas.

Another concern expressed by many is the standard definition of "broadband," which in the case of this study is 600kbps. While this is one of the higher standards in the United States, other countries such as Japan (155 Mbps) have far higher goals in terms of speed for their citizens. The faster the information pipe, the more likely that rich Internet video applications (including interactive television services) can be delivered. For example, at 600 Kbps, we won't see fiber optic services video on demand or IP-based television could be delivered as a competitor to cable services.

For anyone who doubts the economic impact of ubiquitous broadband availability (including at higher speeds), you may want to review Connected Nation's economic impact study. “The Economic Impact of Stimulating Broadband Nationally” details the potential state-by-state impact of legislation to accelerate broadband access and use. The report’s findings suggest that the U.S. could realize an economic impact of $134 billion annually by accelerating broadband availability and use across all states. West Virginia's projected impact would be $616M, which includes $398M in direct income growth.

Truly high-speed broadband service is today's equivalent of roads and bridges in the Industrial Age. For West Virginia to have hope in gaining ground on our peer states in the New Economy, we must keep the pressure on for investment in this area. As the U.S. Department of Commerce stated in its 2004 report "A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age" stated, "With high-speed connections, American workers can find jobs; small businesses can have global markets;  rural doctors can consult with specialists; and students can take classes that are taught from across the country."

Invitation to Working Artists!

Dear Friend of Art and Create WV --

Please join us on Wednesday, April 30, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. at Café Cimino Country Inn in Sutton, to let your voice be heard on shaping the Create West Virginia 2008 Conference! We will provide a cool environment, a delicious lunch, and a warm atmosphere with other like-minded folks for some open dialogue about making this year's event something very special for our state.

Should you be there? Ask yourself:

* Are you a working Artist living in West Virginia?

* Do you put your heart and creative energy into every project?

* Do you care about your state, your home, as much as your work?

* Have you ever wished for a better economy in West Virginia?

* Would you like to increase your income without leaving your state?

* Would you like to share your ideas on how to make this happen?

* Would you like to learn from those who are making this happen now?

That's who we are and that's what we are doing. We hope you can join us! Please RSVP by April 25, to jandegaucher@suddenlink.net. There is no charge for the meeting, but we do need to know you are coming, and space is limited. Please send us your name, field of work, email address, mailing address, and telephone number.

Once you are registered, we will send you some more information about last year’s event. Until then, please feel free to surf www.createwv.com for more great info on this growing effort in our state. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Elizabeth Damewood Gaucher, Create WV Team Member, www.createwv.com

Cheryl Hartley, General Manager, Tamarack, www.tamarackwv.com

Kris Lett, KD Lett Photography, www.kdlett.com

Jeff Miller, Hunter Miller+Associates

Betty Rivard, Betty Rivard Photography, www.bettyrivard.com

Bucks for Communities?

With the recent successful passing of the "Bucks for Brains" legislation this year, some folks were wondering: What would a "bucks for communities" program look like, and what impact would it have?

It's hard to find anyone who doesn't agree that many of our communities, large and small, are suffering in terms of population loss, infrastructure and growth opportunities. If we do in fact attract the high-impact Ph.D.'s and entrepreneurs with our $50 million research investment, where will they live? Will they stick around and make West Virginia their home, infusing the much-needed talent? Will they only exist in Morgantown and Huntington, or can this model work in other WV communities?

We have certainly seen how "quality of place" vision and investments have transformed Lewisburg, Shepherdstown, Berkeley Springs and many other communities around the nation. The West Virginia Development Office provides small economic and community development grants to qualified counties each year, somewhere to the tune of $1.8 million. These are small grants designed to jump-start projects.

But what if? What if a "Bucks for Communities" program, funded at $50 million - matching the"Bucks for Brains" investment - could be launched with stringent, yet reasonable, criteria on how communities could invest the funds for game-changing infrastructure, economic, cultural and community redevelopment? Perhaps an element of the program could require matching funds for counties above a certain economic threshold, and a relaxed formula could be developed for communities with the most need?

What impact would this level of investment - combined with local public, federal and private investment - have on our communities? Would this turn into a political free-for-all, or could we develop such a program with the right oversight and innovative criteria to really spark the next round of nationally-recognized communities?