ART TOWNS .COM
THE 100 BEST ART TOWNS IN AMERICA
From Hawaii's Kona Coast to New Hampshire's White Mountains, small communities are reinventing themselves as vibrant creativity centers.
THE 100 BEST ART TOWNS IN AMERICA is a guidebook to many of these remarkable places. It provides an up close look at the ways individuals with expertise in visual arts, performance, arts administration, and art business development are bringing change to small towns across North America.
Art Towns are different from the fabled artist colonies of yesterday. Wealthy retirees and trendy shops have made the formerly bohemian artist colonies increasingly homogenous and exclusive. Conversely, the majority of Art Towns offer affordable living and relaxed lifestyles. Attractive to diverse populations of creativity-driven individuals, Art Towns serve as incubators for artists as well as the arts-minded engaged in transforming their lives.
Many Art Towns have less than 10,000 residents. Historic neighborhoods, secluded locations, and surroundings bursting with unspoiled natural beauty are common Art Town attributes. Some are home to dozens of art galleries and summer festivals, while others offer outstanding art museums, innovative theatre companies, summer music festivals and industrial studio spaces.
Whether an Art Town is established or emerging, these clusters of creative fervor are flourishing across North America. With their independent bookstores, annual studio tours, and friendly cafes, these exceptional places beckon visitors to enjoy their unique takes on community.
THE 100 BEST ART TOWNS IN AMERICA is a guidebook to many of these remarkable places. It provides an up close look at the ways individuals with expertise in visual arts, performance, arts administration, and art business development are bringing change to small towns across North America.
Many of these communities turned into Art Towns after their traditional economic foundations were swept away. Over time, as art galleries sprung up where there once had been barber shops and fabric stores, expressions of creativity replaced economic dislocation with new twists on community renewal.
THE 100 BEST ART TOWNS IN AMERICA celebrates these communities and examines how all types of Art Towns became top-heavy with art spaces, art events, and art creators.
Many Art Towns have less than 10,000 residents. Historic neighborhoods, secluded locations, and surroundings bursting with unspoiled natural beauty are common Art Town attributes. Some are home to dozens of art galleries and summer festivals, while others offer outstanding art museums, innovative theatre companies, summer music festivals and industrial studio spaces.
Whether an Art Town is established or emerging, these clusters of creative fervor are flourishing across North America. With their independent bookstores, annual studio tours, and friendly cafes, these exceptional places beckon visitors to enjoy their unique takes on community.