High Peaks Creative Council

Saskia successfully facilitated connecting and building bridges between the many cultural organizations in North Franklin County, Maine. Her planning process spurred the creation of the High Peaks Creative Council (HPCC) which is now led by arts and cultural leaders from around the region. This was no small task in a sprawling, rural area populated by people known for their independence. Due to Saskia’s organization, positive attitude and professionalism, it was the first time that artists, museums, galleries, historical societies and event organizers had successfully been brought together to collectively drive arts in the region. Through cultural planning, the High Peaks region has continued to benefit from increased collaborative efforts including coordination of events, mutual support, and ongoing creative placemaking projects that benefit the quality of life, sense of place, and create economic development. Saskia’s good work has forever, positively, changed arts and culture in the High Peaks of Maine.

Cultural Planning

Cultural planning provides a catalyst for the creativity that lies within every community. For years it’s been argued that the value of arts and cultural assets extends beyond the intrinsic and aesthetic. Until recently, the ability to define the value brought to communities through the presence of arts and cultural assets was limited by the lack of sufficient data available to support what many knew to be true; that not only do arts and cultural assets add to our overall enjoyment and quality of life, these assets also add significantly to the economy and serve as a powerful tool for community and economic development.

Over time, those keen on cultivating the benefits brought to communities by the presence of arts and culture worked to define what many refer to as the ‘creative economy’. Communities now have access to a growing body of data to support local, regional, and statewide planning initiatives aimed at cultivating the creative economy.

Much like land use planning serves as tool for municipalities and regional planning entities to help communities guide future development based on a community’s priorities and values, cultural planning serves as a tool for communities to develop and implement strategies to support a growing creative economy.