Creative Concord

Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce

Tim Sink

Concord, NH

Project Dates:

2006 - Present

Tags

2011 CCX presenter, Business Planning, Networking, Policy

Posted Date:

Oct 20, 2012

In 2006 Concord’s Economic Development Advisory Council asked the City Council to authorize a Creative Economy Task Force charged with developing a creative economy plan for Concord. The City Council agreed & provided $15,000 from the Economic Development Reserve Fund. This was matched by $21,000 from the private sector. The Creative Economy Task Force, comprised of more than 50 members of the business, arts & cultural communities, as well as federal, state & local government officials, convened in Sept 2006 and met throughout 2007, retaining Dreeszen Associates as consultants. In 2008 the Task Force met for a planning retreat, from which it developed New Hampshire’s Creative Crossroads: The Concord Creative Economy Plan, which created a permanent Creative Concord Committee.

Project Goals

What were the project goals?

Current project goals include: •Establish the Creative Concord Committee within the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce •Create incubator space for artists and creative enterprises in Concord •Create a revolving loan program for artists and creative enterprises •Encourage affordable housing for artists •Establish a permanent presence for the creative economy on the city Economic Development Advisory Council •Retain the League of N.H. Craftsmen headquarters in downtown Concord •Encourage more public art in all its forms •Brand Concord as an arts-friendly community •Provide professional and networking opportunities for artists

Have they changed over time?

Who are the project partners and stakeholders?

Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce; Economic Development Advisory Council; League of NH Craftsmen; artists

Project Specifics

How was the project implemented? What were the steps taken?

The Creative Concord Committee convened its first meeting on December 2, 2008. Around the table were 17 members representing city government, creative enterprises, traditional businesses and community planners. Subcommittees were assigned to work on creative enterprise incubator space, public art and artist-to-artist networking. Almost immediately Creative Concord learned that a major creative nonprofit—The League of N.H. Craftsmen—was planning to leave the city. A subcommittee was formed to develop a plan to retain this important creative asset. Creative Concord also set the wheels in motion to modify the charter of the city Economic Development Advisory Council to add two members representing the creative sector.

Have they been refined over time?

Over the course of the next two years, Creative Concord became the go-to organization on creative economic issues, building support within the business community, city government and the creative sector. In 2009, 90% of the members responding to a Chamber survey ranked the creative economy as the most important business issue facing Concord.

Obstacles

What were your major obstacles?

One significant obstacle has been related to accurately framing what constitutes the creative economy. There is a strong temptation to broaden the definition to include sectors of the economy that, while having a connection to creativity, strain the credibility of the term “creative economy”. On the other hand, limiting the definition too narrowly artificially limits the impact of creativity on the economy. In the end, Creative Concord leaned towards a more conservative definition, which included the fine arts and creative enterprises. Another obstacle, which is ongoing, is breaking down the conceptual stereotypes that exist between artists and the private and public sectors. Artists sometimes mistakenly view conservatives and business people as enemies of public funding for the arts. (In New Hampshire this is patently inaccurate. Some of our most conservative governors provided the highest level of public funding for the arts). At the same time, many in the private sector do not understand how profoundly the arts and creativity contribute to the economy. There are also perceived cultural differences that appear to separate the stereotypical button- down business executive from the free-spirited creative type.

Who or what was instrumental in overcoming these obstacles?

An interesting observation is that almost everyone has a creative vein that manifests itself in music performance, dance, fine arts, etc. It seems we are all creative artists down deep; it’s just that not all of us earn our daily bread this way.

What top three suggestions would you give to others attempting a similar project?

Accurately frame what constitutes the creative economy; lean towards a more conservative definition of creative economy; break down stereotypes of private sector and the arts

Project Impact

How has this project contributed to creative community building?

To date, Creative Concord has: •Successfully collaborated with a local developer to provide a high-profile home for the League of N.H. Craftsmen in a new office building on Main Street. The street-front location will provide gallery space for the League’s permanent collection of fine crafts, gallery space for rotating exhibits and classroom space so that the League can, for the first time in decades, fulfill its educational mission. Creative Concord and the Chamber helped the League apply for and sell Community Development Finance Authority tax credits to help make the project possible. •Prompted the Concord Area Trust for Community Housing to designate half of the 45 units in its downtown M.T. Mennino Place workforce housing development for artist residences. •Launched an incubator space feasibility study with Artspace. The response to the survey was strong, with respondents expressing significant interest in relocating to Concord to take advantage of incubator space. A complete analysis of the survey will be available in March; an assessment of incubator locations is in progress. •Gained two seats for the creative economy on the city Economic Development Advisory Council which have been filled by the executive director of Concord’s independent cinema and the CEO of an international interior furnishings company headquartered in Concord. •Conducted an assessment of public art opportunities and began work with the city on modifying Concord’s ordinances to encourage street performance. •Established quarterly artist-to-artist networking events modeled on the Chamber’s Business After Hours mixers. These have drawn 40-60 participants at each event and have served to energize Concord’s creative community. •Launched discussions with the Capital Region Development Authority to establish a creative enterprise revolving loan fund. We expect this effort to be finalized by May.

How did it achieve your original goals?

The above achieved our goals.

Were there unexpected impacts?

The Capital Region Development Authority wanted to establish a creative enterprise revolving loan fund.

CCX Workshop Handout

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Creative Economy

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Creative Concord