Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Where there’s art, there’s innovation, especially in rural communities.
So says Richard Florida, who is described by Wikipedia as an American urban studies theorist focusing on social and economic theory.
He teaches at the University of Toronto and has a consulting outfit called the Creative Class Group. The creative class — artists and innovators of all kinds — is something he writes about frequently.
In a recent article called “The Rise of the Rural Creative Class” for a publication called “CityLab,” Florida demonstrates that creativity and innovation are strong in rural areas, and in some areas stronger, than they are in urban areas.
For instance, patents for products, material goods, are more likely to come from companies in rural areas than urban, Florida says.
There is a strong link between the presence of artistic creativity and business and industrial innovation in rural areas, as well as in urban areas, he says.
He may not be alone in thinking that way.
When New Mexico MainStreet starts working to revitalize a community’s downtown, it will often focus on restoring an old theater — the Yam in Portales, the Shuler in Raton, the Luna in Clayton and currently, the Princess in Tucumcari. Theaters invite performances and exhibitions.
I wrote in a previous column that Quay County may have the critical mass of professional artists and arts and culture events to become a center for art tourism
It’s got to be good, though.
When it is, Florida points out, “31 percent of visitors travel beyond a reasonable distance” to visit such attractions.
Florida says successful art-tourism rural communities are often near forests and national parks. Quay County has Route 66 and two recreational lakes close by. I would think those attractions would be the equivalent.
The success of Rockabilly on the Route and, we hope, the Rockin’ Route 66 event in June, as well as the annual Iron Pour and New Mexico Music Showcase demonstrate Quay County’s potential to attract art and performance visitors, as do the Rawhide Days and Fired Up events in Tucumcari, and the annual Cowboy Gathering in Nara Visa.
Doug Quarles, who has done more than anyone else to make Tucumcari a city of murals, is back in town. We have the art faculty at Mesalands Community College and a few others around the county who make at least part of their living in the arts.
The Gallery, etc., continues to display the work of professional artists and local talent.
That’s a start.
Innovators in other areas who come for the art could also be exposed to Mesalands’ wind energy center and Bob Hockaday’s plans for a waste-to-energy facility north of town, if they come for the art.
Now, what if Tucumcari were to host the Coronado Park Racetrack and Casino?
What a venue that would be for art and innovation events, too.
Whether it starts with art or innovation, there may be a lot of potential to develop both in Quay County.
Steve Hansen writes about our life and times from his perspective of a semi-retired Tucumcari journalist. Contact him at: