Creative Communities Exchange

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Creative Communities Exchange 2013
June 6-7, 2013 | Portland, ME

The 2013 event is produced by NEFA and local hosts: the Creative Portland Corporation, the Maine Center for Creativity, and the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau.

About CCE

The Creative Communities Exchange (CCE) is an event in which creative and cultural leaders share practical information about implementing creative economy projects and provide participants with actionable tools that can be executed to strengthen their own communities. This is a peer exchange to share successes, challenges, and lessons learned from New England creative economy projects.

The CCE features workshops describing the implementation ofcreative economy projects from around New England, focusing on various elements of the creative economy: downtown revitalization, artist and small business professional development, impact data collection, planning, zoning, space development, marketing, and more.

Several months before the event, presenters submit project descriptions, finalists are selected, and the presentations are reviewed. At the event, workshops are strictly timed and include a how-to presentation, Q&A, and networking time. Presenters prepare a practical handout for the audience to take away.

Participants are creative and cultural community leaders who work on creative economy projects in various sectors and types of organizations including cultural nonprofits, creative businesses, economic development, city planning, funders, researchers, and government. 

VIEW NEW ENGLAND CREATIVE ECONOMY PROJECTS  
 

Creative Economy Awards

At the Creative Communities Exchange, exemplary projects are recognized with NEFA's creative economy award, which includes a cash prize. These projects are chosen for their clear strategies, effective collaboration, and visible impact on the New England creative economy.

2011 award recipients:

• Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP), founded in 1995 by Robert McBride, received NEFA's creative economy award for its longevity, outstanding leadership, and breadth of projects - including public art, affordable artist housing, and a main street program - that have helped to turn a depressed, rural former mill town into a vibrant area that supports artists, businesses, and visitors.
• Project Storefronts, a new initiative of the New Haven Department of Cultural Affairs, received NEFA's creative economy award for thoughtful project design, effective cross-sector partnerships with the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven (EDC), the City of New Haven's Office of Economic Development and Ninth Square property owner Related Properties, and clear impact on local artist entrepreneurs, real estate development, and community citizens.
   

Past Exchanges

• March 9-11, 2010: Connecting Creative Communities
  Co-hosted by City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism
  The Biltmore Hotel (Providence, RI)
• May 19-20, 2011: Creative Communities Exchange
  Co-hosted by Berkshire Creative
  MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA)
  Photos from the event
  Guest speaker Rocco Landesman (Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts) at the awards luncheon: