Arts & Humanities
Boosting the Creative Economy UW’S NELTJE CENTER AND PARTNERS OFFER TRAINING AND STARTUP FUNDING FOR CREATIVE VENTURES ACROSS THE STATE.
PHOTO BY BURNING TORCH PRODUCTIONS
Mark Pedri and Carrie McCarthy film at the Red Desert Roundup Rodeo.
32 • uwyo.edu/magazine
By Micaela Myers
When we think of growing the economy in Wyoming, tech or energy or manufacturing usually come to mind. But many small businesses are part of the creative economy, ranging from film production and music to literary and visual arts. The University of Wyoming Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts — along with community college partners Sheridan College and Northwest College — received $1.1 million to help grow the creative economy. The funding comes from the Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP) WATCH A VIDEO for “artsWork,” an innovative program focused on supporting artists and investing in Wyoming’s creative economy. Throughout the artsWork program, participants learned from arts and business experts. Webinars were held on topics including fundraising, choosing a business format, community outreach and community engagement. Participants especially benefited from one-on-one mentoring. “We had 33 mentors in disciplines