Silver City, New Mexico – Organizations from throughout New Mexico gathered in Santa Fe November 12-14, 2014 for the first annual Building Creative Communities Conference. The conference explored community revitalization through arts, culture, tourism, and historic preservation. This educational and networking event was hosted by New Mexico MainStreet, New Mexico Historic Preservation Division, and New Mexico Arts.

The New Mexico Building Creative Communities Conference aimed to foster collaborative local and state efforts through interdisciplinary strategies designed to promote resiliency and economic development. The inaugural conference was constructed around three interconnected themes: Building upon local history; building strong alliances; and expanding economic opportunities while preserving local culture. Keynote speakers and 35 area specialists led discussion panels, and workshops that explored these themes in depth.

Silver City, Grant County organizations were in attendance. Silver City Arts and Cultural District (SCACD), Mimbres Region Arts Council (MRAC), Silver City MainStreet, and Ft. Bayard Historic Preservation Society had representatives at the conference.

Mimbres Region Arts Council Executive Director Faye McCalmont and Alexandra Tager, Promotion/Marketing Director, presented an overview of the Silver City Blues Festival and engaged the audience in a discussion about capacity building for festivals and events.
Lee Gruber, president of the SCACD board, spoke about the CLAY Festival, the signature event of the SCACD, and the Southwest New Mexico Clay Arts Trail, an economic development initiative funded by NM Arts, National Endowment for the Arts and managed by SCACD.

George Julian Dworin, SCACD Director, addressed the attendees about tourism marketing, focusing on the value of promoting "site doing" versus merely "sight-seeing" when focusing on the cultural traveler.

"The conference brought together diverse entities from across the state to examine broadly what economic development possibilities look like in the future. It was incredibly engaging and I believe we fostered new partnerships that have great potential for our local community and New Mexico," said Dworin.

The University of New Mexico's Bureau of Business and Economic Research presented their recent study that highlighted the importance of arts and culture to New Mexico's economy. The report found these industries are the primary source of employment for 43,031 New Mexicans – roughly equal to the state's construction industry and 50% larger than the manufacturing industry. The arts and cultural industries account for about 1 of every 18 jobs in the state (5.5%). These industries pay $1.37 billion in wages and salaries, roughly equal to the total paid by the state's mining industry, and more than the total paid by hotels and restaurants. The complete study can be found at www.bber.unm.edu.

Gruber commented, "Arts and culture are proven economic drivers. This event exemplifies the creative potential of cross-industry collaboration. It was inspiring."