The revamped Tamarack Foundation for the Arts is raising funds for a new facility on Charleston's West Side that will anchor artist entrepreneurs to West Virginia's burgeoning creative economy.
Formerly known as the Tamarack Artisan Foundation, Executive Director Alissa Novoselick announced the nonprofit's capital campaign to raise $100,000 for the build-out of its future "creative business incubator," which will be housed in the former Staats Hospital, in the 100 Block of West Washington Street, in the Elk City area.
The foundation is partnering with Crawford Holdings LLC, headed by Tighe Bullock. He purchased the Staats Building in 2014 and has been working since then to renovate the 94-year-old, four-story structure. In January, Bullock and various local economic development groups unveiled the building's renewed storefronts on the first floor.
The Bullock family is no stranger to Elk City; John Bullock, Tighe's father, led renovations on the Gaddy Engineering building, and Tighe has overseen other projects, such as Bully Trap Barber Shop and the future home of Kin Ship Goods, on Tennessee Avenue. Elk City Records is on track to open this spring, next to Bully Trap.
The father-son duo also is rehabbing the upper floors of the Staats Building and others into loft-style apartments geared toward young professionals.
"We're starting to finally build an identity on the West Side that has its own flavor to it," said Tighe Bullock, who also is running for a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates' 32nd District. "We're trying to [build] an artist community there."
That vision is precisely what the Tamarack Foundation was looking for in its search for a new home.
"We were looking for a partnership, and what I see in this community development effort, particularly on that block, is a commitment to the arts," Novoselick said.
The business incubator, which will occupy one of the Staats Building storefronts, will provide in-person training, education and development programs for business-minded artists, as well as a gallery to showcase their work.
Novoselick said the foundation's long-term goal is to add artist studios and residences, similar to Asheville, North Carolina's River Arts District.
The Tamarack Foundation kicked off its capital campaign Friday, announcing a $25,000 gift it received from the BrickStreet Foundation.
When she first moved to Charleston from Lewisburg last year, Novoselick immediately noticed that the city didn't have a central location to showcase work by West Virginia's artists.
The foundation led a survey targeted at professional artists last year - more than 90 percent of respondents cited "significant challenges in the growth of creative enterprise related to declining population, a poorly performing economy and a lack of access to viable markets," Novoselick said.
She referenced Chattanooga, Tennessee, as one city that's enjoying its own Appalachian renaissance after years of industrial decline crippled its economy. Nearly 25,000 new residents have moved to Chattanooga in recent years, Novoselick said.
"Leaders from that area say this success is due to providing clear pathways for startup companies, embracing the wave of growth in the tech industry and broad support for artists and arts-focused businesses," she said.
But Novoselick also is realistic; she knows art-based business isn't going to save West Virginia singlehandedly.
"I believe every piece of our economy is important," she said. "The creative economy might be a smaller portion, but when we put emphasis on industries we know are growing nationally - graphic design, architecture, technology - it's building upon each sector as an important piece of what we do."
The Tamarack Foundation also has reshaped its mission, approach for advancing the state's creative economy and its digital platform.
For more information, visit www.tamarackfoundation.org.
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.