creating artist communities for economic development

The Vermont Studio Center founded in 1984 has revitalized an old mill town in northern Vermont. The Center has renovated over twenty-five buildings for studios, housing, galleries, lecture hall and dinning facilities for the creation of an artist residency program. The Center hosts over fifty artists and writers a month, year round. Residents attend the center from the U.S. and around the globe. The impact on the local economy and the revitalization of the town of Johnson has been a true example of the value of the creative economy. The Center takes pride in the community it has built and in the way it has integrated with the local community. Some of the topics that will be discussed are Downtown Revitalization,Creative Economy, Historic Preservation, Artist Residency Program.