A message and request from the Northern Neck Artisan Trail Task Force to the Northern Neck arts, hospitality, heritage, vineyard and agriculture industry stakeholders: After a well-attended gathering at Generals Ridge Vineyard last week, we are sending you this survey request because of your interest and potential as a trail site on the rapidly developing Artisan Trail of the Northern Neck. If you have attended one of the overview presentations given by Artisan Center of Virginia (ACV) Executive Director Sherri Smith, then you know the great potential an Artisan Trail has for your economic development here on the Northern Neck. If you missed the presentation, there is a load of information about the trail network on the ACV website at artisanscenterofvirginia.org/artisan_trail_network/. Now is the time for us to really get the ball rolling, so lets talk specifics. To make a successful trail requires at least 50 trail sites, i.e. actual places to visit on the Artisan Trail. These can be artisan workshops, artist studios, agri and aqua artisans, craft related venues such as galleries and museums, support sites such as restaurants, B&Bs, cultural points of interests, festival/events, etc ... just about any venue that supports artisans and art. So, we need to know who is really interested in becoming a trail site once the trail signup can begin. Becoming an Artisan Trail site includes a small one-time, set up fee and a small annual fee to cover administrative expenses, printing a map, and so forth (see details at artisanscenterofvirginia.org/system/uploads-images/ArtisanTrailNetworkToolkit.pdf). But, as the Artisan Trail program is designed, the trail signup cannot begin until we, here on the Northern Neck, raise the seed money required to start. Now, it takes at least $25,000 to create an artisan trail. We can raise part of that from trail site startup fees ($40-50, depending on the type of site), but that hardly makes a dent. The sample budget for a new trail assumes 58 trail sites, and the total in fees raised from those sites is only $1800! We still need $23,200 to get started, and that has to come from start up donations. Part of that amount is the required $15,000 (plus a fee for ACVs fiscal agent service during our initial fundraising period) that has to be pledged up front before ACV is permitted to actually call us an official trail and begin development. The bulk of the money may come from donors, and we have some in mind who have expressed great interest, but first they want to know that our regions potential trail sites are truly interested and willing to have some skin in the game. It makes sense ... who would donate thousands of dollars without assurance that the Artisan Trail is a priority for us, especially for the potential trail sites. Another thing wed like to know is how many trail sites are willing to make a modest donation, exclusive of their actual enrollment fee as a trail site (remember you cant enroll just yet). If we can show that we are truly interested in a trail and are willing to put our money where our mouths are, then we think our prospective donors will have the confidence to invest in our Artisan Trail. Thats what this survey is intended to reveal, and your participation is greatly appreciated by your Artisan Trail Task Force. https://surveymonkey/s/NorthernNeckATInterest
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 17:58:16 +0000
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