Some neighborhoods and towns seem to build a strong economy around having “it” — an independent spirit, a reputation for good art, fun and funky residents.
But while it may seem laid back and effortless, it takes more than the right vibe to turn a creative community into a creative economy.
That’s where the idea of creative clusters comes in. Creative clusters are a way of thinking about the network of artists and services that make up a creative community as a complete unit to create a blueprint for economic development.
“It’s all the different parts of the creative economy and the local community,” explained Terry College of Business MSBA student Aidan Downey. “It’s people who have expertise in various areas and how they can come together and build the creative economy.”
Downey and his classmates in Terry College senior lecturer David Sutherland’s creative economies class worked this spring with Winterville to create a creative cluster plan for the tiny art-centric town. They hope the blueprint helps other Georgia artist communities grow their economies on their terms.
“We’re trying to create a blueprint for a creative cluster, and you’re going to help us do that whether you’re an architect, engineer, culinary artist, writer, poet, singer, songwriter, filmmaker. Whatever it is that you’re involved in, you’re a part of this cluster, and we’re happy you’re here,” Winterville Mayor Dodd Ferrelle told the artists gathered at the inaugural Winterville Creative Cluster Networking meeting.
“What we’ll be able to do now — through this class and this blueprint — is help artists monetize their craft, which helps the city also create new revenue streams and strengthens our community as an arts community.”
As part of the celebration, Ferrelle read a commendation from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recognizing Winterville as the state’s first intentionally planned creative cluster and a model for other small towns to follow.
The project allowed students to stretch their business marketing, management, and analytics skills in an industry they hadn’t worked in before.
They identified tools for marketing Winterville to the outside world and building stronger connections between area creatives and businesses with skills and training programs that artists can use to become better businesspeople.
“We looked at 12 different creative industries, and we wanted to understand how those industries work, how people in those industries work and the difficulties they face,” Sutherland said. “What we’ve come to know over the years is if you bring people together, if you bring the creative community together, the community produces more than if they’re all working on their own.”
Sutherland hopes to continue working with students to set up other creative clusters across the state in the coming years, creating networks of towns that can support each other and their artists as they grow.