[Vision2020] A Great meeting

[Bruce and Jean Livingston]

In an interchange with Phil a month ago or more, I have already weighed-in 
with the thought that it may very well be a good idea to pursue a 
locally-based, high quality pottery and other ceramic art industry from 
locally produced clay.  More details are needed, but the concept seems sound 
and well worth pursuing further.  I will forward this message to our new 
executive director at LEDC, Margaret Howlett.

It also fits with my vision of creating a greater arts component in the area 
in the hope of increasing our viability as a cultural tourism destination.

Further, increasing the arts presence and cultural toursim opportunities 
should not only increase the quality of life for all of us, but also, 
through that enhancement, assist in the recruiting of clean, high tech, well 
paying businesses that can locate here based on the telecommunication and 
computer advances of the last decade -- and without draining our limited 
water resources unduly.

Of further note, Moscow will be hosting a conference sponsored by the Idaho 
Commission on the Arts on Wed. April 12 at the Best Western, in which an 
impressive keynote speaker, Becky Anderson, will be addressing the concept 
of cultural tourism.  Those who think that Phil's locally-based pottery 
notion is a good idea might well want to consider attending that session 
over lunch.

Bruce Livingston


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill London" <london at moscow.com>
To: "Phil Nisbet" <pcnisbet1 at hotmail.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] A Great meeting


>I am impressed with Phil's suggestion (below) for locally-based economic
> development -- local clay to locally-produced pottery.  value-added!
> What do the LEDC board members on this list think of that option?  What
> could the LEDC do to make it reality?
> BL
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Phil Nisbet" <pcnisbet1 at hotmail.com>
> To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 10:30 PM
> Subject: [Vision2020] A Great meeting
>
>
>> Sorry that some of you could not make the Grange meet tonight.  Thanks to
>> those of you who made it.  Joan was there.  Donovan was there.  Roger had
> to
>> be there, because he is the President of the New Moscow Grange.
>>
>> One of the points that Mike Wendt made at the meeting is something that
>> ought to be discussed.  He noted that his on site sales of pottery from
> his
>> out of the way shop in Lewiston, not exactly the best place for tourist
>> trade, had a cash register that in a little less than 20 years of
> operations
>> had rung up over 3 million dollars in sales.  That is not from mass
> produced
>> ceramics, but from true hand crafted pottery.
>>
>> Mike's materials come from right here in Latah County.  We have the raw
>> stuff from which to form a high value added art related industry in
> Moscow's
>> backyard.  And its not common clay or low value feldspar and quartz, its
>> some of the best porcelain producing material in the world.
>>
>> We need to encourage the Latah Potters Guild and to help it to grow, give
> it
>> space to highlight the skills and talents in the ceramic arts from our
> local
>> materials that can give us something vibrant that is the Palouse's very
> own.
>>   A handcrafted ceramics industry does not sound like it can be an
> economic
>> engine, but look at places that have done so, like Marshall Texas or even
>> Fairbanks Alaska.  Those towns employee hundreds of people in production
> and
>> their activity draws tens of thousands of tourists every year, just to 
>> see
>> the potters work.  And it means painting and design jobs as well, a near
>> full gamut of the arts that would keep some of our talented artists here,
>> rather than see them drift down to Arizona or California.
>>
>> I would just like to see us put arts back into Moscow's motto of Heart of
>> the Arts.  We have the materials here in Latah County that could make us
> as
>> important to ceramics as China was from the Kaolin district from which
> Ming
>> porcelain was made.  It would be grand as far as I am concerned to see
> more
>> businesses like Wendt Pottery turning out things of beauty right here in
>> Moscow and I hope to convince the list that it's worth doing as a
> community.
>>
>> Phil Nisbet
>>
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>
> _____________________________________________________
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> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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