Sharing with the North Slope Borough
Week of July 21, 2003
 

Our economic development staff traveled to Barrow and Anaktuvuk Pass this week to share information about our arts purchase and marketing program and contribute to artists' workshops. This activity is an outcome of the Arctic Economic Development Summit that was initiated by our two boroughs in recent years.

Over 130 Northwest Arctic Borough residents have been able to sell their crafts and artwork through our Borough's program over the last two years and it is a program that we believe could benefit the North Slope and other bush populations in Alaska. The key elements of the program include development of a revolving fund with which to purchase products from artists, establishment of retail markets for the sale of those products, and assistance to artists in developing quality products that are marketable.

Our Revolving Arts Purchase Account, currently $100,000, evolved largely from $25,000 contributions from NANA Regional Corporation and Maniilaq Association and cost savings in the Borough's economic development program that were reallocated into the account over the last few years. This account, like that of our Revolving Small Business Loan program, is "legacy" money that will continue to serve us year after year as long as it is administered responsibly. Its importance lies in the fact that products can be purchased on a year around basis from active artists, providing them with some consistency in income.

Retail markets are broad and varied. Our Borough first focused on developing local outlets so that visitors to our region would have the opportunity to purchase artwork as a special memory of their travel here and local people would have continuing visual evidence of their cultural heritage. We hope to create the same atmosphere in Barrow.

That marketing has been expanded to include our borough website ("Articraft" under www.northwestarcticborough.org) so that people anywhere are able to view the art of our region. We have also established relationships with retail outlets in other parts of Alaska and even Washington, D.C.

In support of artistic development, we provide workshops featuring the expertise of our finest artists and even some from outside the region, grants for the purchase of tools and supplies, promotional materials such as business cards and advertising posters, and even art competition. We are also in the process of developing an arts center in Kotzebue, where our people can both work efficiently and learn from others, and hope to develop such facilities in most of our villages as well.

Barrow and the neighboring villages of the North Slope have the same wealth of talent and tradition that we have in our region. At the same time, those people are experiencing the same problems of low employment and loss of cultural ties that we have. In sharing our knowledge and experience, we believe we can lift the spirits and potential of many of our northern neighbors. At the same time, we may be able to establish another market (Barrow) for our local artists.

Our participation in the North Slope activities this week is funded by a grant received by the Native Village of Barrow economic development staff from HUD Rural Development. We would like to thank the granting agency for making funds available and the Village of Barrow for extending the invitation for our participation.