By Patrick Donges
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-968459.mp3
Pittsfield, MA – Helena Fruscio, director of the Berkshire Creative Economy Council, known as Berkshire Creative, announced Wednesday she had been appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve as a member of the state's Economic Development Planning Council.
The statewide council was established by the Economic Development Reorganization Act of 2010 and convened for the first time this April.
Berkshire Creative was founded in 2007 to serve the needs of the "creative economy" and recognize the creative thread that runs through the all county's economic sectors, from individual artists to manufacturing.
As the only representative on the council from the Berkshires, Fruscio said her appointment will be an opportunity for everyone with economic interests in the county to be heard on the state level.
Berkshire Creative is also a member organization of 1Berkshire, the strategic partnership founded last year after the disbanding of the Berkshire County Economic Development Corporation.
"We are collaborating, we are in discussion, and I think that's where 1Berkshire comes into play so much so it's not just only this one piece of the Berkshire economy is represented."
Fruscio said that her appointment to the council as a member of 1Berkshire will better enable the region to speak to state and federal officials with a unified voice.
"Our work really does run so parallel, all of the organizations that are part of this, and I can't tell you how thrilled I am that we're coming together."
The state council will be divided into five committees. Fruscio said she will likely volunteer to serve as a member of committees on innovation and entrepreneurship, and capitalizing on the competitiveness of each of the state's regions.
The group will focus on identifying items that can help with the economic communities across the state and formulating a comprehensive economic development plan. Fruscio explains a few of the areas the group will aim to tackle.
"Emerging clusters within the regions, marketing of the regions. The increasing local involvement in development efforts, so making sure that the business community is involved and has a voice in that."
"They also focus on gateway cities. Pittsfield is actually one of them, but there are many others including New Bedford, Lowell, and they're seeing a rebirth in Massachusetts."
News of Fruscio's appointment comes as Berkshire Creative prepares for a Creative Communities Exchange conference on May 19 and 20 at MassMoCA in North Adams.
The event, co-sponsored by the New England Foundation of the Arts and featuring remarks by National Foundation of the Arts chairman Rocco Landsman, will bring together over 200 people from across New England to discuss their strategies for the successful implementation of the creative economy.
Of the 32 presenters scheduled for the event, 7 of them are from the Berkshires.
Fruscio said the idea for the event was borne of her frustration after attending other conferences touting tips for success in the creative economy.
"I was so sick of going to conferences and throwing my notebook away afterwards. What I realized was that people were talking philosophically about the creative industry and the people sitting next to me were the people who were actually working in the creative industry."
Fruscio said she hopes the conference will highlight the Berkshires as an example of how the creative economy can be an important part of the state's economic future.