Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Is creativity the key to the economic future of Southwest Wisconsin? Could supporting the arts, preserving historic sites and promoting the culture of our unique region result in economic growth? Can artists and entrepreneurs join together to create a mutually beneficial vision for the future of Southwest Wisconsin? The ArtsBuild Regional Committee is betting that the answer to all of these questions is, "yes!"

On Feb. 16, artists, community members, business people and civic leaders are invited to meet in Platteville, at the Platteville Municipal Building, 75 N. Bonson Street, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to brainstorm ways to promote the arts as one of the region's valuable economic resources. Meeting participants will be asked to assist ArtsBuild in compiling information on the economic impact of the arts on communities and the region, listing current resources that are available, and suggesting strategies for mining the area's creative potential. For the purpose of the brainstorming session, "art" is broadly defined as the region's artistic, creative, cultural and historic resources. Meeting participants will receive a summary of the group's findings for use in their own community and organizational planning sessions. This will be the first in a series of community meetings throughout the region.

The ArtsBuild Regional Committee was created in response to recent national studies that have noted the emergence of a new "creative class" of workers that gravitates towards innovative employment and that prefers to live in regions that support the arts. According to Anne Katz, executive director of Arts Wisconsin, creative industries already encompass over 8,000 businesses and 43,000 jobs in Wisconsin. It's the goal of ArtsBuild to see these numbers rise, especially in Southwest Wisconsin.

ArtsBuild is funded by a Continuing EDvantage Grant from the University of Wisconsin-Extension. During 2004/2005, ArtsBuild worked with artisans in Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland and Sauk counties to increase their professional and business capacity through workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities. The ongoing project is supported by numerous organizations throughout the state, including Arts Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center, UW-Extension Community Development Agents, Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network, local Chambers of Commerce, Main Street Programs, and regional arts organizations. For more information or to RSVP, go to www.uwplatt.edu/cont_ed/artsbuild/ or contact Heidi Dyas-McBeth, Arts Build coordinator, at dyasmc@uwplatt.edu or (608) 342-1314.

Contact: Heidi Dyas-McBeth, Arts Build coordinator, dyasmc@uwplatt.edu, (608) 342-1314.