Wednesday the Arts Council of Windham County hosted a dinner and conversation about the arts scene in Brattleboro with a group of artists, agency representatives, and tourism experts from Canada. They are touring several New England arts towns collecting ideas and inspiration to help them develop their own communities as healthy, effective arts economies.

The group hails from the Atlantic Provinces - places like Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Labrador - and according to one of the group's organizers, they were told that Brattleboro was a "must-visit" destination for their tour.

Brattleboro was well-represented at the potluck at the River Garden. The Arts Council invited representatives from BaBB, the Chamber of Commerce, the Selectboard, the Latchis, the Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center, the Alliance for the Arts, as well as artists and members of other arts organizations in town.

Brief Brattleboro-oriented presentations gave the Canadian group insights into our community and how the arts and creativity have found a home here. They seemed especially intrigued by Gallery Walk, the monthly first-Friday event that is so familiar to us.

Brattleboro was treated to brief presentations by Canadian counterparts. They explained that one of their big issues is small population spread over a large province, so creating critical mass for projects could be a challenge. They were also losing industries that had been long-established: fishing, farming, and others.

In other respects, they had advantages that intrigued and impressed people here. Top of that list was how the Canadian government puts money into the arts, and helps fund projects.

The format was casual and intimate. Dinner was at the small River Garden tables, so three or four people per table were able to carry on conversations and ask questions without much distraction.

I was sitting with Joan Kane, a knitter and active arts manager, from Trinity, Newfoundland. She said that their summer population is about 150 people, and in the winter it drops to about 40. She warned that if you were there after Labor Day, you would need to know someone locally if you expected to eat anything.

She runs a small cottage industry of knitted goods. She comes up with the designs and specifications, and has a small team of knitters working to create the items for wholesale sale. You can check out her business online at www.ewedesign.ca

Others included a jewelry maker who came on the tour to see how artists open their studios to the public, tourism officials looking for ideas to take back and try, and people who worked for the government of Canada in roles that help fund and facilitate the development of arts and culture.

There was some humor, too. We learned, for example, that the wonderful people of Labrador like to crack jokes about their neighbors in Newfoundland - "Newfies," as they call them - much the way we jest with our neighbors in New Hampshire.

....

Here are a couple other sites to check out:

The Trinity Historical Society: www.trinityhistoricalsociety.com

Historic Sites of Newfoundland: www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/historicsites

Prince Edwards Island Buyer's Market: www.peibuyersmarket.com