Tag: Quality of Place

  • Transcending Cultural Clash


    Rebecca Kimmons, an actor, singer, writer and partner in Katalyst Development Strategies, has been giving readers across West Virginia some things to think about in a series of Creative Community op-ed pieces. The latest was recently published in the Charleston Gazette this past Sunday. With creative flair, she sometimes gently, sometimes directly forces us to…

  • Arts, Tourism…and New Citizens?


    Arts and tourism gurus have been doing a good job calculating the economic impact of things like last weekend’s FestivALL in Charleston. The Gazz did a nice write up of the impact of the third year of the festival. Other festivals such as Culturefest Music & Arts Festival and the Appalachian String Band Festival bring…

  • Tolerance and Diversity – A Key Foundation for our Future


    Over the next few days we will post detailed outlines of each track delivered at the Create WV Conference Nov 12-14, 2007, at the Stonewall Resort. We encourage you to provide feedback, ask questions and forward to friends and colleagues who may get a lot out of these important discussions. There has been a lot…

  • Big Ideas…Really, Really Big Ideas


    It’s been pointed out that many of us in this state are a little gun-shy about sticking our neck out too far with far-fetched ideas for fear of [insert reason here – ridicule, “didn’t work last time” or “we could never do that here” comments, etc.]. In other words, we censor our own creative inclinations…

  • Creativity’s Impact on Image and Growth


    Byron Clercx is a creative man with a mission. A native of Sioux Falls, SD, and a long-time Pacific Northwest artist, Clercx is now a Professor and the chairperson of Marshall University’s Art & Design department in Huntington. He specializes in sculpture and taught a variety of art courses at the University of Idaho from…

  • Calling all Colleges


    For years, “town and gown” tension was the norm for college towns. Colleges and universities were perceived as living in their own little bubble, seemingly disconnected and frankly uncaring about the communities surrounding them. Tensions between students and local police, between campus and town planners and even some elitist hostility reigned. Today, both academic and…

  • Sneak Peak: Create WV Conference Speakers


    For Create WV blog readers and newsletter subscribers, we are pleased to give you a preview of the keynote speakers lined up to speak at the Create WV Conference Nov 12-14 at the Stonewall Resort (http://www.createwvconference.com). We have selected speakers based on their ability to relate to West Virginia and our unique opportunities and obstacles,…

  • Come to Create!


    We are very excited to announce the Create West Virginia Conference, November 12-14, 2007, at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, WV. We hope you will spread the word about this first conference and help us make it a memorable leadership and training experience. Registrations are now being taken at http://www.createwvconference.com. First, a few words about…

  • A Step Towards a More Open West Virginia?


    Dictionary.com defines “tolerance” as: Recently, with relatively little fanfare (so far), the City of Charleston amended their human rights law to include a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation. This adds to the list that provides protection against discrimination based on race, sex, age and disabled status. Few modern issues flame passions like the…

  • Attracting With Jobs…Or Opportunities?


    Kevin Turner, Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft Corporation, recently said during a speech to 20,000  employees: “Great people are attracted by great challenges.” I thought about this in terms of our “chicken or egg” challenge here in West Virginia. Typically, the conventional thinking is that until we have companies offering jobs here in the state,…