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Barry Brensinger Remarks at the 2011 Business in the Arts Awards

Good evening. I am Barry Brensinger, Chairman of the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts. And, it is my pleasure to be with you tonight and to welcome you to our 27 th Annual Business in the Arts Awards.

As has been our tradition for nearly three decades, we gather here to be inspired by the artists and arts organizations that call New Hampshire home, and to applaud those businesses that invest in the rich culture of our State.

Let’s celebrate again the wonderful performance by the talented musicians from the Manchester Community Music School.

As a member of Manchester’s business community and proud parent of a former Manchester Community Music School student, I certainly appreciate and value all that the School brings to the quality of life in our City and the role that it plays in defining this “Place” we call Manchester.

The theme of tonight’s dinner is “Creative Placemaking”. Shaping space and building community are essential elements of my work as an Architect, so I am particularly interested in this evening’s message.

In recent years we’ve heard much about the concept of the creative economy. And, in our cities and towns from all four corners of New Hampshire we’ve seen communities enhanced by the fusion of economic strength and cultural vitality.

Creative Placemaking more deeply integrates arts and culture into the daily life of a community. Through Creative Placemaking a diversity of community interests collaborate to celebrate their collective resources, values, and passion for life. It is a way for us to show the world that our communities are places where life is enriched by the arts.

And, indeed, the best examples of Creative Placemaking teach us that not only can a “place” inform and inspire art, but that in turn “art” shapes and informs place.

Creative Placemaking adds dimension to life by engaging us in art, nurturing innovation, and celebrating community.

While the technologies of the modern world enable us to live almost anywhere and remain “connected”, we continue to be drawn to those communities we “choose” to call “home” in large part because of their investment in the arts and culture.

We can all be proud that so many New Hampshire communities are taking important steps toward incorporating Creative Placemaking into their planning efforts. A sampling of this good work includes:

•  Newmarket Mills: A center for the arts and heritage in Newmarket’s historic mill district that is combining retail and space for the arts as a means of bringing citizens together to enjoy the visual and performing arts.

•  Another revitalized mill, the Washington Street Mills Business and Cultural Center in Dover has cultivated a vibrant community of businesses and artists. This “place” retains its historic character, while providing commodious space for offices, restaurants, manufacturers, retailers, and an artists’ colony complete with gallery.

•  Nashua Arts is building on the Gate City’s strong tradition of supporting the arts by promoting accessibility to art through public art walks, gallery strolls, film festivals and public performances.

•  Upper Valley Arts Alliance honors the bi-state culture of its communities, giving its vibrant arts scene a cohesive voice on both sides of the Connecticut River.

•  And in Concord, examples of Creative Placemaking in downtown life continue to thrive. Each Saturday, the Concord Arts market brings the community together to celebrate the talents of local artists. This summer a new development on South Main Street will open, offering office space, galleries, and live/work space for artists, thereby continuing the transformation of the City’s south end into a thriving arts district.

More and more our cities and towns are embracing the truth that artists and their art are essential to vital community.

Portsmouth’s whimsical outdoor sculpture symbolizes a community that values artistic curiosity. Manchester’s cultural organizations are working together with local government to support its theatres and galleries, in the City’s historic buildings, through physical proximity and cross-promotion.

And, to our west, communities in the Monadnock Region have banded together to promote their identities through Arts Alive.

When creativity is nourished and allowed to flourish, it inspires curiosity, wonder, and engagement with the world around us. In other words, a community’s investment in the arts can lead not only to the creation of more art, but to an inspired and engaged citizenry.

And, of course none of these successes would be realized without your investments as our business leaders. Your involvement in community and your outspoken and generous support of the artists and art organizations that make New Hampshire so culturally rich, are essential.

Tonight we salute you and your good work. All of the companies nominated have demonstrated leadership by contributing resources, volunteer power, and good counsel to make sure that arts organizations of all types and sizes are well-supported and integrated into the “places” we call home.

For that and more, we thank you.