Arts can no doubt attract tourism. From sculpture classes to photography exhibits, any number of goings-on at Perkins Center for the Arts have driven out-of-towners to visit its Moorestown facility. Now, Perkins wants to help take tourism one step further.
Last Monday night, Moorestown Council approved a resolution allowing Perkins Center for the Arts to submit a “Creative Placemaking” grant application to the South Jersey Cultural Alliance. Kahra Buss, executive director for Perkins Center of the Arts, said the grant will help Perkins to encourage arts tourism within the township.
Creative placemaking refers to the idea there is room for the arts in an economic development plan. The $5,000 South Jersey Cultural Alliance grant application is the beginning of Perkins’ long-range efforts to partner with local businesses and organizations. The plan is to use Perkins as a conduit to refer arts tourists to local businesses while in town.
Buss said not long after she came to Perkins, Township Manager Thomas Neff approached her to discuss Perkins’ place in the community. He said they engaged in conversations about how Perkins is not just an arts center but also a member of the local business community.
From there, Buss began engaging in conversations with representatives from the Moorestown Business Association about how Perkins has become something of a regional destination for people who patronize the arts. So the question arose:
“How can we as a collaborative member of the community help support other areas of the business, civic community?” Buss said.
Buss said creative placemaking is about leveraging the advantages of a community. She said this means if there’s a concert or some kind of performance that draws people to the area, it’s about looking at the event as part of a larger organism. This means referring people to local restaurants, hotels and other local businesses while they’re in town.
When the South Jersey Cultural Alliance opened up the grant, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get started. Buss said their vision for the initial phase of creative placemaking is to host an exhibition or instillation that would promote a broader reach.
She said the grant’s timing is pretty ideal given that Perkins was approached about hosting one of NASA SciArt’s international arts competition. Buss said as a hosting entity, you bear some of the costs of hosting the event, so the grant would enable them to bring the competition to Moorestown.
Buss said their goal is to use the money to purchase items they can reuse for future exhibits. She said these could be items to house or display pieces that would meet logistical needs moving forward. Perkins will learn if it is receiving the grant in May.
Even if it doesn’t receive the grant, Perkins’ creative placemaking will just take on a different form, Buss said. She said this could be something like having an exhibition in Perkins and encouraging visitors to find other pieces of it at businesses along Main Street.
At the end of the day, Perkins’ goal is to be a good community partner, Buss said.
“It’s not about what we can get from the community but what we can give to the community,” Buss said.
