This manifesto is the outcome of a workshop at last fall’s Creative Economy Summit. Bob Barba and Mary Clare Powell, the workshop leaders, and the Summit group have worked it repeatedly, asked for lots of feedback from you all, and think it might be finished. We know it won’t suit everyone but it reflects the thoughts generated by the group at the summit.

We need some feedback. Will you read it over, and answer these questions via the forum on this website?

• Are you enthusiastic about a Manifesto?
• Can you think of ways that you personally might be able to use it, for example, taking it to artists groups you belong to, using it to stimulate a discussion about the creative economy with a friend who owns a small business, etc.
• What might be a jazzier title?
• What might the Franklin Country Arts and Culture Partnership use it for, aside from including it with our Strategic Plan, and grant proposals?
• How might we include the perspectives of business people in it, or is that not appropriate? How do we bridge this to others who don’t see themselves as artists?

Preamble

Our purpose is to foster the local creative economy by supporting what artists and artisans most need—freedom to create what they are most compelled to create, protection and recognition of their essential place in the well-being of the community, and a significant role in the economic life of the region. In turn, we assert the responsibility that the artist bears to the community: to inquire deeply and in unexpected ways into that which is most important; to embellish that which would otherwise be mundane; to entertain. We call all in the community to embrace the centrality of art and expression in our lives.

We undertake this work with one overarching principle: that the most meaningful solutions and ideas come from the local place and from local people. The hills and river valleys and towns of Franklin County are full of extraordinary people. There is a rare convergence here of geography (Five Rivers), history (Native American and European), and culture; the resulting place is home to generations of local families as well a refuge for many who come here from other places. We aspire to foster a region where generations of people from all cultures, races, and backgrounds can find a place of value, and a sustainable quality of life for all people. Together we will bring this creative economy into being.

Principles

We, the undersigned, are dedicated to cultivating a fertile and prosperous creative economy in greater Franklin County by encouraging these principles:

1. Foster the imagination in every endeavor.
2. Welcome new forms of expression and encourage and appreciate risk-taking.
3. Value artists as transformers and transmitters of culture.
4. Cultivate sustainability by supporting that which is home-grown and local. Honor local history and geography and draw upon it to create and inform the future.
5. Work toward common ends through collaboration. Connect business leaders with radical artists, young with old, longtime residents with newcomers.
6. Ensure that everyone profits from the creative economy – artists and artisans, the business community, and local government. Protect the place of artists in a revitalized local economy.
7. Invest in culture. Help to create spaces for arts events and make public places come alive with the arts.
8. Commit to the next generation by encouraging youth, supporting the arts in schools, and strengthening the place of art and creativity in the lives of children and young adults.
9. Think regionally and be aware of national and international trends.
10. Become ambassadors for Franklin County’s creative culture.