On Friday, March 4, 2016, the Tamarack Artisan Foundation officially became the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts, marking a shift not only in name, but also in the structure and approach to programs and services for the 13-year-old organization.
The foundation – a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Charleston – now serves a singular focus: to build the creative economy of West Virginia. Working as part of a comprehensive system alongside state government agencies such as the Department of Commerce and the Division of Culture and History, the statewide foundation functions as a small business and economic developer for creative enterprise.
WHAT’S NEW?
West Virginians are facing a rising set of economic challenges. The foundation now advocates for a three-prong approach to driving increased revenue from the creative economic sector:
- Providing incentive to attract creative enterprise to West Virginia
- Connecting consumers across markets to West Virginia-owned creative businesses
- Ensuring artist entrepreneurs have the skills to succeed
As part of this strategy, the foundation has launched a new website; devised a new approach to programs and services and is launching a capital campaign to fund a new facility.
- Revised Programs and Services: The foundation has developed an eight-point value system for programming driven by three central tenets: inclusivity, accessibility, and reliability. Building on this fresh start, the foundation has expanded the focus and scope of their services.
- New Facility: The BrickStreet Foundation is kicking off the capital campaign to fund the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts Creative Business Incubator with a generous gift of $25,000. The Incubator will be based on the West Side of Charleston, WV in the former Staats Hospital building (currently under renovation). It will provide in-person training and education, business development programs, and presentation of artwork. Serving as the core tenant in this impressive community development project created under the vision of the Bullock Family, the foundation has the ability to incubate and support the kinds of businesses that the Bullock’s are committed to attracting to the west side of Charleston.
At a press conference held at the State Capitol on Friday, March 4, Alissa Novoselick, Executive Director of the foundation stated, “For the health of our communities and for our economy, it’s imperative that we build a brighter future for West Virginia. These results are within our grasp. We must work toward defining clear pathways to accelerate creative innovation, and the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts is committed to this carrying out this vision.”
WHAT IS THE CREATIVE ECONOMY?
The creative economy is made up of a wide variety of businesses such as graphic designers, furniture makers, and photographers. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that the arts and culture sector is a $699 billion industry, which represents 4.3 percent of the nation’s GDP—a larger share of the economy than transportation and agriculture.
HOW DOES THE TAMARACK FOUNDATION DIFFER FROM THE TAMARACK: THE BEST OF WEST VIRGINIA RETAIL FACILITY IN BECKLEY, WV?
The services of the foundation were initially focused on preparing and sustaining West Virginia-based creative businesses for the Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia retail facility based in Beckley. Over time, the foundation grew to serve artists and creatives working across West Virginia, regardless of their status as juried Tamarack artisans. In 2005, the foundation officially moved its operations to Charleston, WV, where it is currently based.
While the foundation continues to strongly support and partner with Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia as the largest and most prestigious marketplace for professional artists in the state, the organization’s services work in a broad capacity to develop and sustain the businesses of creative entrepreneurs who are functioning at the earliest stages of development to the well-established, well-seasoned enterprise typically showcased at the facility.
Working in this broad capacity, the foundation can best encourage increased economic capacity, improvements in pro-business culture and more desirable communities to live and work in for West Virginia.
