Creative Communities Program
CCP Creative Economy Conference Report is now Available.
VCRD's summer conference, Advancing Vermont's Creative Economy, was a celebration of the successful work now underway in the 11 communities that participated in the Creative Communities Program. The conference featured speakers, a panel discussion, displays provided by the Vermont Arts Council and eight working groups who considered many aspects of the creative economy. A full report is now available in the Reports/Summits section of this website.
Overview of the Creative Communities Program
The Creative Communities Program builds from the Vermont Council on Rural Development's ongoing work with both the creative economy and facilitating public discussion around important issues in Vermont communities. It applies creative economy principles to the process of strategic planning. The partners we work with set their own goals for how the creative economy might take shape in their community. We guide the process by asking questions based on key aspects of Vermont's creative economy.
To read a full report on Vermont's Creative Economy please refer to the Vermont Council on Culture and Innovation's 2004 Report "Advancing Vermont's Creative Economy" (PDF - reformatted for printing, please note that the colors have changed, but the content remains the same).
Communities apply to participate in the Creative Communities Program. Successful applicants receive technical assistance in the form of a community visit process that moves quickly from community-wide brainstorming sessions to setting out specific, focused project plans that local teams can begin work on immediately. The Creative Communities Program is also an opportunity for Vermont communities to connect with a statewide network of leaders in the creative economy.
Click here for a 2-page summary of the Creative Communities Program (Word format). You can also download an overview of the process for participating communities (Word format). To find out what creative economy projects towns across the state have selected through their Creative Communities process, please refer to our overview of priority projects (Word).
For more information, please contact Program Director Helen Labun Jordan at (802) 223-3793, or ccp@sover.net.
Creative Communities Program Participants
Grand Isle County
Hardwick
Manchester
Middlebury
Plainfield
Randolph
Richmond
Rockingham/ Bellows Falls
Rutland
St. Albans City
St. Johnsbury
Windsor
Reports from Participating Communities
Creative Communities Program Advisory Committee
Alex Aldrich
Executive Director, Vermont Arts Council
Joss Besse
Vermont Downtown Program
Paul Bruhn
Executive Director, Preservation Trust of Vermont
Chip Evans (Chair of Advisory Committee)
Executive Director, Human Resources Investment Council
David Lane
Deputy Secretary, Vermont Agency of Agriculture
Patricia Menduni
Grants Coordinator, Office of Senator James Jeffords
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