Crafting Creative Opportunities
by MacKenzie Rawcliffe
Often when Mainers try and tackle the economic problems facing the state Tracy Michaud Stutzman, Director of the Maine Highlands Guild, thinks they overlook a valuable cultural and economic resource, local artisans. Through her Guild, Stutzman has begun to address the needs of this sector and help artists from metal workers to photographers develop their products, as well as their business skills, through workshops, cooperative retail space, and most importantly, one on one mentoring.
The concept for the Maine Highlands Guild started seven years ago, with a “wacky idea that we should look at our cultural assets and tie them into economic development” says Stutzman. After returning to the state from graduate school, Stutzman began working on a project that took an inventory of the cultural assets in mid Maine. Then she began looking for ways to measure and enhance any positive effects of these assets. The project included an impact survey of micro business, a number of which were home based artisans, and found that together they had as much economic effect as one of the big mills that so many towns depend on. She realized that by helping small businesses go from part time to full time, for which they would need to hire employees, she could help create new jobs and add to the culture and vibrancy of the community at the same time.
She created a network that is open to anyone, producing anything, from textiles to pottery to wood products to photography, and is useful to anyone from a hobbyist to a professional. Artists can choose how involved and how much assistance they need, and the Guild makes contacts and runs events to meet those needs. The most important aspect of the Guild for many members has been the individual mentoring. They can meet with the Guild marketing director about their packaging and pricing or with another more experienced artist on how they can improve their product. Their are also several Guild run workshops, from how to market products to how to deal with trade shows, galleries or retail sellers to how to create a winning press kit.
Once member artists feel that they and their product are ready they can go before a jury of experts to present their product. If they pass they can work with the Guild in two ways depending on what they wish. They can participate in special events like art gallery openings or other major guild events, or they can move into wholesale and production focusing their attention on the major national trade shows.
The Guild is not just a way for artists to get their products market ready and learn the ways of business, it is also a network of friends and colleagues. Stutzman has made a point of planning fun social events, rather than having official networking meetings. The Guild has hosted barbecues and trips to photography exhibits, as well as a private tour of a manufacturing facility. It is this kind of personal connection that has led some Guild members to collaborate in running a Kiosk at the Bangor Mall during the holiday season. This year members are developing a limited edition holiday ornament set that will be packaged and sold under the Maine Highlands Guild label, and represent the work of several different artists.
It is projects such as this that proves Stutzman’s assertion that a good atmosphere and a willingness to work together is the most important precondition of creating a network like the Guild. She admits the Guild has been lucky in attracting strategic funding partners as the right time. She also says that winning the National Social Venture Competition has helped increase the Guild’s prestige and weight in the non profit world but under it all figuring out what the cultural and social assets are in your community and building on that is what creates a successful and sustainable development project.
For more information see their website at themainehighlands-guild.org