Recently, however, even before the release of the CODA Survey results, several state tourism agencies (particularly those with a cultural tourism arm) and economic development agencies began pairing with nonprofit and state arts agencies to create programs that benefit everyone involved: artists and art organizations get exposure, states attract more tourists, and more jobs are provided in the communities.

Laurie Huttunen has been working in such partnerships since long before it became a trend. In 1993, she worked to establish Handmade in America, a crafts marketing program serving western North Carolina through partnerships with state economic development and rural development funds, among others.

Huttunen says she purposely sought nontraditional funding from the beginning. “Knowing what the limitations of art funding were, we specifically did not go after traditional funding sources. We went into it from the point of view of being the bridge between two worlds that had a lot in common. I like to say that we married two things that had been engaged for a long time.”

In order for such marriages between art and business to succeed, the partnerships need a strong foundation. “If you don’t have the artists or the tourism infrastructure, it’s not going to work,” says Huttunen.

Utah’s Crafts Corridor may be one example of a cultural tourism program that lacks a critical mass of artists and visitors. Though there are some artisans along the 230-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 89, according to Carol Edison, folk life coordinator for the Utah Arts Council, there aren’t really enough artisans or visitors for it to thrive. She does consider the program a success in that both hobbyists and businesses along the route have been encouraged to think of craft as a viable business endeavor, but it seems the corridor is functioning as more of an incubator than a cultural attraction.

In addition to cultural tourism initiatives, many states, particularly those that are less populated and less developed, are supporting their craft industries because of their potential to stimulate state economies.

Maida Owens, director of the Louisiana Craft Marketing Program, believes that the craft industry is beneficial for underdeveloped communities. “I think people are turning to crafts for a reason. If you aren’t a highly industrialized state, it’s there anyway. An individual craftsperson can set up shop anywhere, and it’s relatively inexpensive to help them achieve their goals.”

Many states seem to agree. Three states are funding new crafts centers in various stages of development right now, all of them including a focus on helping artists successfully market their work.

In all, we’ve identified 21 states with comprehensive (statewide) cooperative initiatives that help to promote or support craft — if we had included regional, local and privately funded programs, there would have been many, many more listings.

Alaska

Silver Hand Branding Program
Alaska’s native craft artists can be juried into the Silver Hand program, earning the right to display the Silver Hand logo on their craft items.
Contact: L. Saunders McNeill, native arts program director
Alaska State Council on the Arts
(907) 269-6603
www.aksca.org

Creating a Living, Making a Life
“Creating a Living, Making a Life” is the name of the first conference held by The Alaska State Council on the Arts Native Arts Program, in collaboration with the University of Alaska Small Business Development Center Rural Outreach Program, and the Department of Community and Economic Development Division of Community and Business Development, among many other organizations. The first conference was held this February in Bethel, and two more are planned for other locations this spring. The conferences are designed to help artists make a living. The first conference included workshops on designing promotional materials, setting prices, marketing and record keeping.
Contact: L. Saunders McNeill, native arts program director
Alaska State Council on the Arts
(907) 269-6603
www.aksca.org

Connecticut

A Trail of Connecticut Craft Centers
Governor John Rowland has been instrumental in supporting the arts through capital infrastructure and cultural tourism initiatives. In 1998, five state craft centers joined together to create a cultural heritage tour pamphlet with state funding. Participating centers report increased revenues over the five years since launching the tour.
The state has also passed a special funding program, Capital Infrastructure for Arts Institutions, which earmarks special monies over and above historic preservation and cultural tourism grants for improvements and renovations to buildings that house arts institutions. The Brookfield Craft Center took advantage of the program last year, and will use the funds for a remodeling project this year.
Contact: Brookfield Craft Center
(203) 775-4526
www.brookfieldcraftcenter.org

Hawaii

The Arts at Mark’s Garage
This is the name of the first arts-oriented enterprise zone designated by the state of Hawaii. Located in downtown Honolulu, the zone encompasses 12 organizations, including Hawaii Craftsmen and the Pacific Handcrafters Guild. State, city and county funds provided $300,000 to renovate a parking garage for the new space, and to pay for print advertising promoting the space, which now has offices, a performance space, retail space and visual arts galleries.
Contact: Kim Coffee-Isaak, executive director
Hawaii Craftsmen
(808) 596-8128
www.hawaiicraftsmen.org

Illinois

Made in Illinois and Artisan Gallery
In the spring of 2001, Illinois first lady Laura Lynn Ryan in cooperation with the Governor's Office, The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, The Capital Development Board, the Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Arts Council, the Illinois State Museum, and the Illinois Artisans Program, launched Made in Illinois and Artisan Gallery, a program that showcases the work of over 100 Illinois artisans through a guidebook and Web site. The guidebook profiles the work of artisans throughout the state and the attractions in their communities. The work of many of these and other Illinois artisans is also sold through four artisan shops operated by the Illinois State Museum Society.
Contact: Carolyn Patterson
Illinois Artisans Program
(312) 814-1794
www.enjoyillinois.com/madeinillinois

Indiana

Craft Development and Marketing Initiative
According to Indiana Arts Commission Executive Director Dorothy Ilgen, the Craft Development and Marketing Initiative has been “a twinkle in the collective eye of Indiana” for a few years. Though the initiative, a collaboration among the Arts Commission, the Indiana Department of Commerce Division of Tourism and Development, the Indiana State Museum (under the auspices of the Department of Natural Resources), and the Indiana Historical Society, is still in the development stage, the group is hoping to develop a state brand similar to the “Kentucky Crafted” or “Made in Louisiana” designations. Eventually, entire communities where craft is very strong may also be able to apply for a “craft community” designation through the department of tourism.
Contact: Polly Harrold, information director
Indiana Arts Commission
(317) 232-1269
www.ai.org/iac

Kentucky

Kentucky Craft Marketing Program
The Kentucky Craft Marketing Program started with an economic development grant in 1981, and Kentucky has been finding creative ways to support their craft artists ever since. Several years later, the Kentucky Crafted label was developed as an opportunity for juried craft artists to get state certification for the quality of their goods. Recently, these efforts have been supplemented by “A Sampler of Kentucky Art and Craft,” a guide developed by the Kentucky Tourism Department to promote crafts events, galleries and individual artist studios throughout the state.

Through the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trail Web site (www.cahc.com), visitors can select loops around the state, customize tours to include, for example, pottery and B&Bs, and have a craft vacation mapped out specifically for them. Kiosks providing access to the Web site will be in stores in six locations this spring, along with books, music, food, and art and crafts made by Kentucky residents.

In addition, two new craft ventures, funded through the state’s Community Development Initiative, are set to open in the spring 2003. The Kentucky School of Craft, to be located in Hindman, and Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea, will offer classes, marketing support, tourist information and an artists’ incubator. (See “New state initiatives support Kentucky artists and local economy,” TCR January 2002).
Contacts: Fran Redmon, program director
Kentucky Craft Marketing Program
(502) 564-3757, ext. 4819
www.kycraft.org

Tim Glotzbach, dean
The Kentucky School of Craft
(606) 785-1055

Victoria A. Faoro, executive director
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea
(502) 564-0887, ext. 345

Louisiana

Louisiana Crafts Marketing Program
In 1986, the state legislature of Louisiana appropriated $100,000 for two years to the Louisiana Division of the Arts to develop the Louisiana Crafts Marketing Program. The program has published two directories of Louisiana artists, most recently in 1991, called “Fait á la Main” (made by hand). Since then, the Division of the Arts has been restructured, and the state budget has gotten tighter. Program Director Maida Owens says that hard times and a shrinking state government have meant that she’s spreading her time among several programs these days, and can’t spend as much time marketing craft as she’d like. Her solution: to help craft artists develop their own guild. The Craft Marketing Program gave funds to develo the Louisiana Crafts Guild, and has developed a juried label, “Handmade by Louisiana Craftsmen.” The guild is also updating the Marketing Program’s “Fait á la Main” Web site (www.crt.state.la.us/art/index.html).
Contact: Maida Owens, director
Folklife and Louisiana Crafts Marketing Programs
(225) 342-8180

Suzanne Juneau, president
Louisiana Crafts Guild
(337) 266-7999
(888) 323-1099

Maryland

Arts and Entertainment Districts
In July 2001, the Maryland General Assembly named its first Arts and Entertainment Districts. The “Smart Growth” program allows certain local and county governments to provide tax breaks to artists and to developers creating housing and commercial buildings for artists. The districts are also exempt from admission and amusement taxes. Maryland based the program on a citywide program in Providence, R.I., but is the first state in the country to develop Arts and Entertainment District legislation statewide. Maryland’s legislation also provides financing though the Maryland Economic Development Assistance and Authority Fund (MEDAAF).
Contact: Karen A. Glenn, communications manager
Department of Business & Economic Development
(410) 767-6318
www.dbed.state.md.us

Mississippi

Mississippi State Craft Center
According to V.A. Patterson, executive director of The Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, the state has long recognized the draw handmade items are for the state. Last year, the guild capitalized on that recognition and applied to the state legislature for a 20,000-plus-square-foot Mississippi State Craft Center to supplement the two small, log cabins from which they now operate. The $5.5 million project was approved, and the guild put construction of the site out to bid in the spring. They hope to have the building completed in 2003. When it’s finished, the center will have retail and exhibit space, demonstration areas and classrooms.
Contact: V. A. Patterson, executive director
The Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi
(601) 981-0019
www.mscraftsmensguild.org

Montana

Made in Montana
Though not strictly organized for craft artists, the Made in Montana program promotes businesses that produce Montana-made products. Director Rebecca Baumann estimates that 30 percent of the program’s 2,200 members are artisans.
Contact: Rebecca Baumann, director, Made in Montana Program
Montana Department of Commerce, Business Resources Division
(406) 444-4392
www.madeinmontanausa.com

Nebraska

GROW Nebraska
When Janell Anderson began GROW Nebraska through the state Department of Agriculture and Economic Development in 1998, the program offered five services to about 50 members. Now GROW Nebraska boasts 180 members, and offers some 17 different services. The program, whose mission is to promote and support Nebraska-based artisans and entrepreneurs, offers several new opportunities this year to members trying to reach national markets. GROW Nebraska now has a gallery, a permanent retail location at the Kansas City Gift Mart, and an annual wholesale event. Anderson, executive director of GROW Nebraska, also negotiated to purchase a block of booths at several George Little Management shows this year, which she then sells to GROW Nebraska members.
Contact: Janell Anderson
GROW Nebraska
(888) 476-9632
www.growneb.com

New Hampshire

Welcome Centers
In 2000, the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts joined forces with the state’s department of transportation to create a welcome center in Salem. It went so well that the collaboration was incorporated into the state’s 10-year highway plan. This month, a second center in Nashua was completed. A third center in Salem will also be renovated through the program. The welcome centers, whose purpose is to offer orientation to the state and its cultural and artistic opportunities, feature photography displays on the walls and display cases featuring the work of local artisans.
Contact: Julie Mento, artist services coordinator
New Hampshire State Council on the Arts
(603) 271-2789
www.state.nh.us/nharts

North Carolina

HandMade in America
HandMade in America is well known among state art agencies as one of the most successful crafts marketing efforts around. The organization’s “Craft Heritage Guidebook” is now in its third edition, and has sold 40,000 copies.

Most recently, HandMade in America assisted others in developing cultural tourism. This spring, the organization helped present a conference called “Building Creative Economies: The Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Development in Appalachia.” The program is designed to assist local, state and national organizations in using culture and heritage to help revitalize Appalachian communities.

The North Carolina Arts Council has followed suit and now has created a “Virtual Tourguide” as part of its Web site. Would-be travelers can visit the site, pick a region and find studios, galleries and other points of interest.
Contact: Laurie J. Huttunen, director of services
HandMade in America
(828) 252-0121
www.handmadeinamerica.org

Maryann Friend, marketing and cultural tourism director
North Carolina Arts Council
(919) 733-2822
www.ncarts.org

North Dakota

North Dakota Cultural Heritage Tourism Program
The state of North Dakota is in the beginning stages of a cooperative cultural heritage tourism program involving five state and nonprofit agencies, including the North Dakota Council on the Arts, the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, and North Dakota Tourism. According to Jan Webb, executive director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts, the group has already created a promotional display booth that has been brought to arts and tourism conferences. Dreams for the future include a statewide directory of arts and cultural businesses, and possibly a cultural trail in the more distant future.
Contact: Jan Webb, executive director
North Dakota Council on the Arts
(701) 328-3956
www.state.nd.us/arts

Ohio

Appalachian Artisans Center
About a year ago, Governor Bob Taft announced a new initiative to build an Appalachian Artisans Center in southern Ohio. The project, a joint effort of the Department of Transportation, the Department of Economic Development, the Governors Office of Appalachia, and the Ohio Arts Council, will soon go out to bid. According to Christy Farnbauch, the community development director of the Ohio Arts Council, plans for the center, estimated to cost $12 million, include galleries that will showcase artists from all over the state, as well as living and working space for residencies. Building is expected to commence in 2003.
Contact: Christy Farnbauch, community development director
Ohio Arts Council
(614) 466-2613
www.oac.state.oh.us

South Carolina

The South Carolina Artisans Center
The South Carolina Artisans Center was established in 1994 in collaboration with the South Carolina Arts Commission, South Carolina Department of Commerce and several other partners. A Community Development Block Grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development helped fund the center. Designed to be a showcase and market for South Carolina’s best artisans, the center is also an educational and cultural draw for tourists. Today over 250 artisans are represented through the center. The center also promotes the South Carolina Heritage Corridor.
Contact: Denise Simmons, executive director
South Carolina Artisans Center
(843) 549-0011
www.socac.site.yahoo.net/socac

Vermont

Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center
The Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center, with locations in Burlington, Middlebury and Manchester, aims to promote and market Vermont craft. The locations offer gallery space, classes, and retail shops.
Contact: Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center
(888) 388-3177
www.froghollow.org

Virginia

Artisans Center of Virginia
The Artisans Center of Virginia has been the “Official Artisans Center of Virginia” since 1999. Funded through a legislative appropriation and monies from the state department of economic development, the Waynesboro-based center represents artists from throughout the state. The center offers retail space, a library and a museum of craft history. It has exceeded projected sales each year.
Contact: Artisans Center of Virginia
(877) 508-6069
www.artisanscenterofvirginia.org

Washington

Northwest Heritage Tours
The Washington State Arts Commission, with the help of the Department of Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts, has established five Northwest Heritage Tours. The tours cover trips on Washington’s scenic heritage corridors and on other heavily traveled highways. A cassette tape mentions artists who live in the areas being driven through. Folk Arts Program Manager Willie Smyth says the tapes are more focused on education than promotion of the economy or of artisans, but they do include events calendars.
Contact: Willie Smyth, folk arts program manager
Washington State Arts Commission
(360) 586-2856
www.wa.gov/art

West Virginia

Tamarack
Tamarack opened in 1996 to showcase the work of West Virginia craft artists, and is the nation’s first statewide collection of handmade, crafts, arts and cuisine. Located on the West Virginia Turnpike, the center includes retail space, working studios, a theater and gardens.
Contact: Tamarack
(888) 262-7225
www.tamarackwv.com

Wyoming

Wyoming Cultural Guide
Inspired by a “Statewide Studio Map” put out in 1999 by the Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming Division of Tourism, Business Council has just published their second “Wyoming Cultural Guide.”

For a $50 fee, artists and art-related businesses can be listed in the guide, which is distributed free through the Division of Tourism.
Contact: Michell Phelan
Wyoming Division of Tourism, Business Council
(307) 777-2855
www.wyomingculturalguide.org