The Creative Economy
Female leaders in regional arts industry say collaboration is key
ALBANY, N.Y. » Four female leaders in the regional arts industry shared their thoughts in a recent panel discussion called Women in the Creative Economy, providing insight on their diverse sectors of the creative economy and how they can work together.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center President Elizabeth Sobol, Sawtooth Jewelry Studio owner Maria Levin, Troy Dance Factory owner Nadine Medina and director of Basilica Hudson Melissa Auf der Maur took part in a public talk last week in Albany, hosted by marketing company Overit Media.
“I believe in the creative economy,” Sobol said to start off the conversation.
However, she continued, it has yet to establish a universal definition.
From Sobol’s point of view, creative economy means a culturally vibrant city with lots happening both on the grassroots level and the world- class level, “and things that are going to make people want to come explore us, experience us and see the kind of transformative experience that art can have on a community and beyond in the particular ecosystem that we live in,” the CEO said.
From a dance industry perspective, Medina said, the creative economy is a group and people and organizations who have something that they want to share.
“My hope is that it becomes one of the purest forms of sharing, because I like to think that creativity comes from something really deep inside of a human be- ing,” she said.
This sharing, she hopes, can lead to connecting people.
“People want to forge connections with other people,” she said. “I think that through our creative economy we actually have a re- sponsibility to create community.”
In doing this, the engineer-turned- dance instructor said she hopes this generates an exchange of goods or capital so that artists can continue to self-fund these kinds of expressions.
Levin, Medina’s fellow Troy business owner, echoed her sentiment that it’s all about community. The jeweler’s shared studio is all about helping to foster connections and create an environment where ideas can collide, rather than compete.
“We’re all there to support each other and add value to the work that we do,” she said, adding that this cross-promotion can help each individual artist to make a living. This community-minded business structure has served her well so far, reported Levin, who started Sawtooth Jewelry Studio in 2015.
What’s amazing about this area, Auf der Maur said, is how many people are “doing it their own way.” The non-profit multidisciplinary arts center cofounder went on to speak of her vision of bolstering an economy of individuals that care, not massive corporations that don’t, to achieve a healthy economy.
“Art and music and dance and jewelry and community can do it, can help us do it, at least for our little Capital Region,” she said. “We’re very lucky in this region, I think.”
The women went on to speak about collaboration in the creative economy, and the important role it plays. As a newcomer to the area, Sobol said she is “blown away by the collaborative spirit across the Capital Region.”
Looking ahead, the panelists agreed that collaboration is key to the success of the region’s creative economy.