Letter from the Director

In this issue of MaineArtsMag you will find considerable coverage of the Blaine House Conference on Maine's Creative Economy. I would like to start off this issue with some thoughts for the practical application of the principles and ideas generated at the conference. More than 2,000 people added to the discussion at the conference, either by attending regional forums leading up to the event or by attending the conference in Lewiston on May 6 and 7. Later this summer, everyone who attended the conference will receive a written report of the proceedings. They will include recommendations from the conference sessions, as well as perspectives from the e-mail evaluation of the conference that was sent to all conference participants.

One early outcome of the conference came in mid-May, when we learned that Jane's Trust had awarded $60,000 for Creative Economy projects in Eastport, Lewiston and the Capitol corridor. These funds will help the communities to plan and facilitate select capital improvement projects. The grants are a prime example of how the conference's finding on the potential for downtown revitalization through arts and culture will have positive impacts on Maine communities.

Another positive outcome is the legislature's decision to grant $100,000 to Maine's Cultural Affairs Council. The funds will come through the New Century Community Program and will support outreach in all cultural fields. The council is exploring the best means to link these resources with creative economic development in model communities.

At the Maine Arts Commission we are using our existing programs to support Maine's Creative Economy. The agency recently approved a $15,000 Discovery Research grant for the Passamaquoddy region, through the Tides Institute in Eastport. Discovery Research grants build communities through the development and documentation of artistic and cultural networks. This Discovery Research project is the first community-based international arts enterprise to be incorporated in both Maine and Canada. It will strengthen Maine's cultural connections with New Brunswick and assist the revitalization of Eastport as a viable cultural and commercial center.

These three examples demonstrate how the Blaine House Conference on Maine's Creative Economy has already had practical impacts on cultural and economic development in the state. These are the kind of outcomes we envisioned as we embarked upon the Creative Economy initiative eighteen months ago, and they are the type of outcomes we expect to continue to see in the months and years to come.

As we continue to develop Maine's Creative Economy, we will involve the many partners who have come to the table as a result of the conference. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the steering committee for the Blaine House Conference on Maine's Creative Economy, who devoted many hours to the initiative. I would also like to acknowledge Abbe Levin's work coordinating the conference. With the Creative Economy initiative rolling, Abbe has now moved on to other professional challenges. The ongoing Creative Economy work will be streamed into permanent project areas at the Maine Arts Commission and other agencies.

Please join me in welcoming Sara Nics, the Maine Arts Commission's new community relations/public information associate, whom you may read about on Page 7.

Please contact us if you would like a copy of the proceedings from the Blaine House Conference on Maine's Creative Economy. Let me know if you have questions about the follow-up to the conference or other agency matters. I always look forward to hearing from our readers and responding to your thoughts and questions.

Alden C. Wilson
Director