Arts spurs arts
By Denise Duda

This is the last in a series of articles on the Creative Economy and the economic impact some private endeavors have had on their local towns. This week's segment focuses on two communities, Rockland and New Gloucester.

In the town of Rockland, the creative economy centers around the Farnsworth Museum, a facility that accommodates about 65,000 visitors a year. Since opening in the mid 1940's the museum has been a cultural destination. The Monument spoke with David Stuckey from the Farnsworth and asked how the museum, as part of the creative economy, impacts the rest of the local economy.

Stuckey sees that the Farnsworth raises the visibility of Rockland as a destination and draws people interested in art. The effect this has on the downtown area translates to increased business and restaurant activity. Stuckey notes that this is especially true during the summer on Wednesday nights when the town has Galleries Night, when all the local galleries stay open late and people go from one to another during the evening.

The midcoast area has long been a gathering place for artists, according to Stuckey, who points out that there has been an artist colony on Monhegan Island for the last 250 years. The Monument asked if he sees a changing role for The Farnsworth with the new emphasis on the Creative Economy in Maine. Stuckey answered, "The museum has and continues to be pretty vibrant. It stands to benefit from the awareness and vice versa. It particularly benefits the arts by creating a synergy. More galleries, more museums, more art is a benefit to everyone. It's a win-win situation."

The Creative Economy is a fascinating concept, as he sees it, so different from the normal economic model, because this new economic model, "finally credits the arts with driving the economy instead of something to try to find money for after everything else." David Stuckey is also a part of Midcoast Magnet, a grass roots group promoting the arts in Rockport, Rockland and Belfast. The group was the first satellite from Governor Baldacci's Blaine House Conference on the Creative Economy, held in May 2004.

Closer to home, The Monument interviewed Jacinda Cotton-Castro, the business director of Fiddlehead Center for the Arts in New Gloucester. The center has been operating for over three years, starting out in the center of Gray before relocating to their permanent home on the Pineland campus. Asked if she saw the role of the center changing in response to the recent emphasis on the Creative Economy, Cotton-Castro said that she doesn't see Fiddlehead Center changing as a response per se. "We were proactive. We came when "creative economy" was just a buzz word. We're one of many in the Creative Economy that came out of a need-it's not just another industry."Below, Kris Sandoy from Poland and Phyllis Korsen from Steep Falls intently working during Julie Yeo's watercolor class.

The vision began separately in two local women, Jacinda and her future business partner, Mary Jo Marquis. Ms. Marquis saw the need as she was traveling to bring her children each to different locations for art and violin lessons and wished for some quality programs that were closer and more convenient. Cotton-Castro saw the continuing cuts in the arts and languages programs at the public school and knew she had to do something. "If you're not fighting for them and finding a way to make it happen, it won't," she says. Friends realized the two were envisioning the same type of business and told them they ought to get together.

The Monument asked Fiddlehead Center what aspects of their business have the most impact economically on the Gray-New Gloucester area. Although they are a non-profit organization, Ms. Cotton-Castro said that the largest impact is the number of artists and independent contractors they hire as teachers.

They average about 25 at any time and employ five full time staff as well. She also explains that through two grants they are able to partner with MSAD 15 to offer H.O.M.E. (Healthy Opportunities for More Enrichment) programs, and homework labs that hire teachers/tutors during after school hours. Also impacted are the YWCA, Pineland Farms and the Gray Recreation Department. H.O.M.E. registrations at Dunn School number 113 and at GNG Middle School there are 130, with the numbers jumping up after report cards come out. Cotton-Castro points out that there are key people at the schools who are great coordinators and that people really work together.

In one measure of success, their 1st Annual International Art & Cultural Festival last summer drew over 1,200 people. This summer's crowd on May 14th is expected to draw 2,000 to 3,000 people from all over New England to Pineland's campus. In addition to the musical and cultural events, vendors and restaurants will set up booths, selling everything from fine art and jewelry to stir-fried veggies, lemonade and ice cream to festival goers.

Whether it's the Fiddlehead Center for the Arts in New Gloucester, The Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, or The Commons in Eastport, each of the businesses that The Monument has spotlighted over the last few weeks represents a segment of the Creative Economy in Maine. With Governor Baldacci and Maine Senate President Beth Edmonds both continuing to advocate for investment in this segment of the economy, the phrase "Creative Economy" is no longer just a buzz word here.

Large or small, each of these businesses plays a growing role in the health of their local economies. As with any investment, there are no guarantees, but with so many Maine towns losing ground economically, that growth is bound to draw attention.