THE ARTS DO NOT TAKE A BACK SEAT TO SPORTS

Artistic & Intellectual Growth

Artistic and Intellectual growth is about creating, doing rather than consuming. It makes a place vital, engaging, vibrant and colorful. To support it, the VillageTown must provide for it.

To accomplish this, each village becomes host to what is called an artist guild hall. The term artist is defined broadly, borrowing from Richard Florida's Creative Class, where a group of about 25 artists cluster together around their art in forming the guild. The Guild Halls also have school classrooms so that education in the arts and sciences occurs among practicing artists and scientists. 

In addition to the guild halls for the artists, the VillageTown builds festival fields and performance halls to provide venues for artistic growth & public celebration.

It also seeks to host university year-abroad programs and to sponsor research facilities, including a training institute for future VillageTowns. The choices are many, patrons will be encouraged to endow, and over all, creativity will be valued and supported.

Supporting The Creative Class

 
To secure an enriched cultural environment, the VillageTown invests in what Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Cultural Class identifies as the creative class, which he demonstrates is the most important group of people to foster economic well being in a city or town. Florida defines the creative class as primary artists – the musicians, actors, writers, painters and other makers of fine arts, plus those in creative professions such as inventors, scientists, engineers, designers, architects and the support professions that cater to those professions.

The Guild Hall

To attract these people, the VillageTown invests in Artist Guild Halls. These are large buildings paid for by the development, which are designed and run by 25 artists who form a cluster based on their common pursuit. A musicians hall may cluster around a particular type of music, and then specify what they need – recording studio, practice rooms, a library or lounge, and access to a performance theater. In contrast, an inventors hall may include laboratories, a well-stocked widget and gadget room, and massive computer power.

Trapezoidal Free-base artists residence

Free Base Homes

In addition to the halls (generally one per village) each member artist is provided with freebase housing in which they may either live, or if they wish, rent out and keep the income (perhaps to help pay for a larger home if the artist has a family). These amenities are not “free” in the sense of no obligation. The artist guild receives these amenities with the understanding they will pursue their art, thus enriching the cultural aspects of the community. One may expect this enrichment to come with the usual dramas and controversies that art always brings; that’s part of the show.

While there may be many variations on housing, one challenge faced by attached home designers who wish to avoid grid streets is what to do where the street curves. Either there will be wasted space or someone's home has rooms that are not rectangular. We propose that these trapezoidal homes be the ones set aside as the freebase homes.

Thinking Creatively about the Creative Class

The idea of the VillageTowns occupied a discussion with a college Dean. The thought came forth about approaching the alumni of the college to see if out of their large membership, there might be 200 families who would like to build a "college village" made up of people who looked back at their college years as a highlight, and would want to establish an extension branch of their college to provide life-long learning. We mentioned to the Dean, that a commentator on the forum at this web site wrote that his college experience was "One of the happiest times of my life" and indeed for many this is true.
From there the discussion with the Dean examined what a college village's guild hall might be like. It could be an extension of the college, so the villagers were host to young people. Or it could be an advanced graduate level center where some of the alumni may find themselves pursuing life-long studies. Or both. There is no limit to what is possible, and these sorts of discussions should be part of the founding process before the VillageTown is built.

How often have you seen towns die on the vine because they lose their youth, their culture, and their economic base?  Look in your county right now and you will know it is true.  To build a Village Town in Eastern Missouri that is alive with culture, intellectual stimulation, young people, old people; all with a strong economy that supports it, is our goal.  Would your family, your business, your nightlife fit into what we want to build?  Become a part of the planning process. Join us.