West Virginia is home to more than 2,000 outstanding artists and craftsmen in a wide range of media, most tucked away as some of the best kept secrets of the state within small towns and remote studios. While the quiet seclusion and serenity provide ample inspiration for their work, it also makes it quite difficult for visitors to find these often hidden assets and make them part of their West Virginia travel experience.
A new website developed by the Tamarack Artisan Foundation aims to change all that, offering the first-ever digital West Virginia Artisan Directory at www.WVArtsTrail.com designed to help travelers find and explore working artist studios across the state.
Arts trails are used by hundreds of cities, communities, regions and states around the country to provide guided tours of galleries and artists’ studios, typically with a printed map. But, the Foundation’s digital WV Artisan Directory is taking an innovative approach by putting the entire directory online with an interactive site that lets visitors choose their own adventure.
Featuring artist profiles, studio and product photos, and driving directions for more than 200 artists, WVArtsTrail.com allows travelers and art enthusiasts to search for artists by medium, county or region using a web browser or mobile device, select artists they’d like to visit and plan their route accordingly. When used on a mobile phone with built-in GPS capabilities, travelers can use their phone to get turn-by-turn directions straight to the artists’ studios.
According to the West Virginia Division of Tourism’s 2010 Day Study of Mountain State travelers, “interesting arts and crafts,” museums and art galleries are all important components of the unique vacation experience West Virginia has to offer. Sally Barton, executive director of the Foundation, says the new Artisan Directory has been designed to provide travelers with the easiest, most direct way to access those unique experiences by putting information about hundreds of artists all in one location.
“Many of these artists do have their own websites, but unless you already know they exist, it can be difficult to find them,” Barton said. “This Artisan Directory is the first and most comprehensive resource of its kind to provide a one-stop-shop that helps arts-oriented travelers plan their trip to explore these hidden gems, along with the communities, attractions and other amenities around them.”
“We earnestly invite artists, convention and visitors bureaus and other tourism and community development groups to add a link to the Artisan Directory on their own websites,” Barton continued. “Not only will it help travelers find their way around the state and within these communities, but it also provides a valuable joint marketing resource that can help regions and communities attract new visitors.”
The WV Artisan Directory was designed by Charleston-based firm Progressity, Inc. and gives artists in the directory the ability to update and edit their own content and data, which ensures the information provided is always up-to-date.
“As an individual artist, it can be tough to attract visitors to your studio or gallery when it might mean they have to travel a long way to get here, “ said Susan Feller, a textile artist in Augusta. “But, the WV Artisan Directory packages us together as a group destination, allowing travelers to visit multiple artists in the Potomac Highlands Region in one trip. Advance planning with the Directory makes it much more likely and feasible for them to come.”
For CVBs and other travel and tourism entities, WVArtsTrail.com provides a digital “plug-and-play” marketing tool to draw visitors in to their communities.
“The vast majority of travelers are using the Internet and mobile tools to both plan and navigate their trip,” said Alisa Bailey, President/CEO of the Charleston CVB. “The fact that the Tamarack Artisan Foundation has compiled this directory, and all we have to do is drop a link into our website, makes it exceptionally easy for us to market the arts as a destination in our community. And, once we get those visitors here, we know they’ll patronize other shops, restaurants and other travel destinations, so it’s a win-win for everyone.”
The WV Artisan Directory project is part of the Tamarack Artisan Foundation’s mission to promote West Virginia artists and encourage entrepreneurship, business expansion and job creation through the arts in West Virginia. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and the only one of its kind serving West Virginia artisan entrepreneurs with comprehensive educational, marketing, professional and product development, market expansion, fellowship and emergency relief programs.
To explore the new WV Artisan Directory, visit www.WVArtsTrail.com.
For more information about the Tamarack Artisan Foundation, visit www.TamarackFoundation.org.
1 Comment
A great service to our artists. As President of Artworks Aroundtown in Wheeling, may I thank you in behalf of our artists.