This project explores the potential for creative economy initiatives in upstate New York and looks at how they can be translated into strategies for community and regional development, linking the arts and the creative process to a wider range of economic activities. The goals of the project are to:
- Document cultural resources in upstate New York Arts organizations, and Colleges and Universities, linking them to the potential for creativity and innovation in the broader upstate economy. We will identify relevant models for using creative activities in economic development (such as the proposed "culture zones") approach and as ways to attract and retain skilled professionals. We will particularly focus on national examples of cooperation between rural colleges and universities and their surrounding regional cultural institutions, governments, and private sector organizations.
- Examine how regional branding and other forms of adding value are led by designers and the design professions and are applied in new (e.g., wineries) and traditional (e.g., textile arts and furniture) rural industries. We will determine how local rural designers leverage arts and culture to achieve economic development through linkages to other designers, area colleges and universities, and rural communities.
- Develop a case study of the Finger Lakes region of New York to determine how examples of creative economy initiatives could be applied and coordinated for maximum economic impact in a rural region, especially with colleges serving as catalytic agents.
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