Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jody Fried, who is the executive director of Catamount Film & Arts, and Erin Narey, who handles press and communications for Catamount. They both live in Kirby.
[I]n his recent State of the State address, Gov. Phil Scott urged the Legislature to focus on growing Vermont’s working-age population. Vermont certainly has jobs, he noted, citing industries like Arlington’s Mack Molding, St. Johnsbury’s NSA Industries and Chroma Technology in Bellows Falls. “As younger generations place more value on social responsibility, health and community,” the governor added, “these ideals should make us a top choice for young families.” But the largest generation in the workforce — millennials — isn’t exactly flocking to Vermont.
As cities nationwide compete for their share of young workers, community planners are recognizing the importance of integrating arts and culture with traditional economic development strategies. According to tech industry veteran and corporate growth expert Rob Vatter, millennials list creative arts, food and nightlife among their top lifestyle priorities. While not every millennial wants (or can afford) to live in Austin or San Francisco, they still want access to certain amenities — walkable downtowns, microbreweries, live music, good coffee — that big cities provide. Many millennials are looking for big city amenities in small towns like Cedar Rapids, Idaho Falls, and Athens, Ohio, where they can join closely knit communities, enjoy quality of life, and contribute to a neighborhood’s sense of identity.
Vermont can’t compete with millennial magnets like Brooklyn or Denver, but towns like Hardwick, Rutland and White River Junction have built distinct community identities based on the creative development of existing assets. Each identified its unique resources and integrated the visions of varying community sectors into a collaborative ongoing development project. Young people interested in sustainable agriculture and the locavore food movement, seeking affordable space for working artists and entrepreneurs, or just looking for a neighborhood with good tacos, professional theater, and funky shopping have options in Vermont thanks to deliberate creative alliances among all sectors. Millennials in these towns can live, work, play and enjoy real ownership of communities they’ve helped (and are helping) to build.
In 2016, the USDA awarded rural development grants to the Barre Opera House, Friends of Dog Mountain and The Foundry in Lyndonville. These highly competitive grants are designed to help the development or expansion of small businesses; the fact that they were awarded to arts and culture organizations underscores the importance of Vermont’s creative sector to economic vibrancy. Public art spaces provide entertainment, jobs and revenue as well as opportunities for community members to enjoy, support and make art together. They allow artists to create and showcase work and network with other community sectors. Creative clusters tend to bring with them other cultural amenities like food and shopping, as well as innovative approaches to business, development, and community engagement.
Industries on which many Vermont small towns were founded — railroads, quarries, textile mills — might feel like ancient history, but they left behind a wealth of architectural resources. In addition to grand old theaters, museums and libraries, Vermont is home to an abundance of old factory and warehouse buildings that many communities have repurposed to incorporate both culture and commerce. The Tip-Top Media & Arts Building in White River Junction, once a bakery, now houses over 30 studios, workshops and small businesses. St. Johnsbury’s Masonic Lodge, the most majestic Masonic building in the state, is now the Catamount Arts Center, home to two movie theaters, two art galleries, a classroom and performance space.
Look what Burlington did with an old industrial warehouse in the South End. ArtsRiot, the collaborative, community-driven, self-proclaimed “mad lab” is a perfect example of the type of creative economy valued by millennials: a performance/event space with a restaurant, bar and food truck stop where every employee has a passion project, half of the programming comes directly from the community, and the mission is as much about promoting a particular culture (“destroying apathy for a hopeful world”) as it is about selling concert tickets and craft cocktails. While UVM and other area colleges draw much of Burlington’s youth population, many graduates stick around thanks to the diverse cultural offerings and opportunities enjoyed by people in college towns. The combination of creative commerce and community engagement exemplified by projects like ArtsRiot helps keep millennials in Vermont towns where they can really put their values to work.
The Vermont Creative Network, established by the Legislature two years ago, met recently to determine the role of Vermont’s creative sector in three arenas: public and private investment, Vermont’s brand/identity, and the state’s infrastructure. As Vermonters consider the governor’s goal to increase the workforce, let’s support the Vermont Creative Network in its mission to maximize the state’s significant arts and culture resources. The development and promotion of Vermont’s cultural assets will be key components to attracting millennials and their families. A healthier Vermont economy depends in large part on a healthy creative sector.
