Art community bolsters Adirondack village economy - City beat: Saranac Lake, NY

Art Business News, Oct, 2002 by Jane Hart

While Saranac Lake, N.Y., was not listed in John Villani's latest edition of The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, Tim Fortune, an artist and owner of The Small Fortune Studio in Saranac Lake has, along with others, spearheaded an effort to put Saranac Lake on the map as an arts community. Since 1996, as part of the town's revitalization effort, an committee has been working diligently on the notion that the arts can help build and bolster a community's economic base. The fruits of those efforts have resulted in an unlikely cultural and arts presence in this small and pristine Adirondack town.

Located in the Adirondack National Park, Saranac Lake isn't easy to get to and lacks the resources and visibility of metropolitan areas whose arts presence are well established and endowed. In addition, the Adirondack area is a mix of private and public land restricting what can be built. These challenges, along with others, inspired the community to form a group of committees to determine how to build, reinvigorate and sustain the areas economy.

"When we are talking about economic drive and how we will sustain ourselves, we are talking about having to find a balance of what people are going to do here and how they will make a living," said Aggie Pelletieri, executive director of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

According to Pelletieri, Saranac Lake was once a hub for tuberculosis cures and the logging industry, and people moved their families to the area to be with their loved ones, settled and opened retail stores. But with a cure for tuberculosis in place and needed time for forest re-growth, other industries are required to sustain economic growth.

Caroline Rubino, executive director of the Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks and a member of the original committee for the revitalization arts, pointed out that "the arts are an industry and a way of rebuilding economic stability that is lacking in this are."

So what does a town with a population of 6,000 do to accomplish its goals? After the formation of a now long-standing arts committee, the town looked to the experience of Peekskill, N.Y., as a model. Peekskill, a town that is listed in Villani's book, is home to a community of people who successfully revitalized their town through the development of the arts. "The Peekskill folks told us you have to pick a project and work on it until its conclusion. If it doesn't work, go on to another, and don't get too complicated," said Fortune.

In its infancy, the arts community sought ways to slowly increase the visibility of area artists. Initial efforts included simple things like hanging banners to introduce the arts. Murals and two large mosaics were created in town. And then, Fortune said, things just started taking off. "Creative people got a sense of what was going on and got empowered to do their own projects and share them with the community because they felt they had support," said Fortune.

As the movement has grown, significant tangibles include a definite art presence in town, which has gone from one to four fine art galleries; three craft shops; four antique shops and an influx of new artists that continues to expand. The Adirondack Artists' Guild, an artist's coop in town, gives artists a place to create and showcase their work. Several of the Guild artists have moved into the community and opened their own galleries.

According to artists and gallery owners, the town now has artists working in nearly every medium. In addition to the visual arts, the town's Pendragon Theater Company offers performances and theatrical productions. Writers and poets are drawn to the area as well.

Gallery walks have also become a popular venue for bringing the arts together. Held June to September every third Thursday of the month, galleries and storefronts bring in visual artists, musicians and theatrical performers to showcase their talents.

Duncan Winter, co-owner with his wife Delphine of the two-year-old Y Gallery in Saranac, recently invited Kathryn Keller, a New Orleans artist, to exhibit in their gallery. To accompany her works, which include paintings of ballet slippers, Winter invited a children's ballet troupe to perform in the gallery. In addition, his gallery showcases imported furniture and the traditional Adirondack watercolors that are popular in the area.

Good business sense, leadership, planning and determination have helped make the arts community what is it today in Saranac Lake. But it isn't just business that draws artists to the area. Most of all, Saranac Lake is known for its beauty. The surrounding mountains and lakes, its proximity to Lake Placid with its Olympic-inspired winter recreation and other well-known events draw a half-million visitors to the area annually according the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. Summer and winter recreation also abounds, as does incredible fall foliage viewing.

Meg Bernstein, an artist and member of the Artist's Guild, has lived in the area for 20 years and said it is the atmosphere and natural inspiration that keeps her in Saranac. "Saranac Lake is a beautiful place to live," said Bernstein. "There is nothing like an Adirondack summer. It's not too hot, the scenery is magnificent, and the air is clean and fresh. You can come here and have fun without spending a fortune, so people really like it here. It is a very friendly community." Others in the area point out that it is a wonderful place for artists to rejuvenate.