[Hidden-tech] Fwd: Franklin County Creative Cluster

[A - Z International]

Great to see Hidden-Techies coming out in an different format and Franklin 
County starting to create a cluster of our folks. I've been urging people 
out their in economic development land to do this for a long, long time.

best,

Amy Zuckerman
Hidden-Tech founder, co-chair



>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.
>
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