[Hidden-tech] Franklin County Creatives follow-up

[Diane H K]

The following is the article that appears in today's edition of The
Recorder. I've also included a brief sidebar that was with it re:
Congressman Olver. Please note that Hidden-tech was referenced.

Also, Jeff Martell of the GBA and I have put together a Yahoo! Group for
Franklin County Creative. Please contact me if you are interested in
joining. The group will be fully functional in a couple of days or less
as we finish test-driving it. This group will act as a listserv for
members until such time when (if ever) it is replaced by something different.

Sincerely,
Diane H K

Greenfield, MA

* * *

ARTISTS PUT HEADS TOGETHER FOR CREATIVE SOLUTIONS 

By RICHIE DAVIS, Recorder Staff

GREENFIELD -- What was billed as a"creative cluster" meeting Wednesday
turned out to be a creative outpouring, with 60 area writers, artists,
musicians and other workers crammed into the paneled upstairs boardroom
of The Pushkin gallery and cultural center. 

Some of these artists discussing their needs suggested that "creative
development in downtown Greenfield could attract more creative people as
well as customers for their work."

"If Greenfield becomes a nexus for the hill towns around, we create an
atmosphere that's very attractive to people," said group spokesman Mark
Kurber, a recent Connecticut transplant to Greenfield. "We don't want to
be a Brattleboro, we don't want to be a Northampton, we want to be
Greenfield. What helps in creating that kind of place is to have an
anchor. It could be that the Pushkin is that anchor, that creative space,
where a lot of people can congregate and have a source for any number of
marketable ideas and concepts. 

"You can't just focus on developing the retail part of downtown -- you
have to market the concept of services available to the community," he
said. "And that's where we are."

Organized by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, the gathering of
graphic and Web designers, game creators, songwriters and others was the
first salvo of a new economic sector being organized and recognized for
its income generating potential. 

"We're trying to pull together the creative workers of this region -- the
artists, the musicians -- and provide resources, ranging from individual
workshops to classes and technology help," said Leo Hwang-Carlos,
assistant dean of the humanities at GCC, which was coordinating the grant
with the chamber, the Franklin County Community Development Corp. and the
nonprofit Mass Country Roads Web site. 

"This is wonderful to see," he said of Wednesday's gathering, which will
be the first of several organizational sessions. "I'm really encouraging
folks who really feel passionate about one of these pieces to stay with us."

Participants at Wednesday's 90-minute session, a mix of both newcomers
and longtime residents, brainstormed about issues, needs and proposed
solutions, often describing the isolation of working from home and
needing to interact with one another, as well as getting the word out
about what they offer. 

One of the outcomes of the gathering of cartoonists, voice-over recording
artists and other specialists, said the guitar-maker-turned-academic,
could be creation of "virtual guilds" of like artists within the
overarching organization. 

Describing a regional arts and music community that's long been
identified but has yet to be quantified as an economic force, CDC
business-technical assistance program manager Amy Shapiro said, "We've
known this for years. But the information hasn't been tracked and
evaluated. It finally will be."

Stephanie Marshall, a singer-songwriter who moved with her husband to
Greenfield four years ago, said "I really want to meet other people." In
addition to finding other musicians in the area, she said, what drew her
to the session was "creating an atmosphere in this area where we can come
together to find people." 

Several of Wednesday's participants said they wanted to connect to one
another and to the larger marketplace by finding a gathering place and
plugging into the Internet. 

Mass Country Roads has received additional federal funding to provide
those electronic connections, said Program Manager Ann Banash, while
organizations like the chamber, the CDC and the Hidden Tech organization
of home-based businesses around the Pioneer Valley can offer the kinds of
business training, legal and financial consulting and health care and
technology assistance those at the gathering said they need. 

"An enormous amount of what people want already exists in one form or
another," said Montague Town Planner Robin Sherman. "The expertise is
here in this room and here in the county."

On the Web: http://www.masscountryroads.com 

http://www.hidden-tech.net 

You can reach Richie Davis at: rdavis at recorder.com or (413) 772-0261 Ext. 269 

Sidebar: OLVER TO MEET WITH ARTISTS ON ECONOMY

A related "creative cluster" effort -- this one spearheaded by
Congressman John W. Olver -- will be the focus of a meeting today at 1
p.m. in Greenfield Community College's Downtown Center. A Massachusetts
Cultural Council grant, to be formally announced at today's session, aims
to help the county's newly identified economic engine promote services
and meet the needs of independent businesses. Full coverage in Saturday's
Recorder.