Highlands Named a Top ArtPlaces Small Town

Saturday, May 4th, 2013

Earlier this year, ArtPlace named the top 12 major cities for the Arts. It has now named the 2013 Top Twelve Small-Town ArtPlace. These comprise arts-centric communities in single-town and metropolitan areas with a population of 100,000 or less. The selection was based on three factors identified by Impresa Inc: the concentration of arts-related nonprofits; arts-related businesses; and people working in creative occupations.

The initiative was designed to recognize smaller communities where the arts are central to creating the kind of places where people want to live, work and visit. After previously recognizing the ArtPlaces in large metropolitan areas, ArtPlace Director Carol Coletta said “It is equally important to recognize and celebrate dynamic Small-Town ArtPlaces and the unique qualities that make them worth the journey to explore and enjoy.”

Highlands was described as a community with few permanent residents but with a vibrant year around arts scene with the Bascom Center for Visual Arts, four theatre groups, galleries, antique dealers, and restaurants. It was the only town in the eastern US not in Florida or New England. It ranked with the well-known art colonies, Taos, NM and Vineyard Haven, MA.

The 2013 selections in state order are Eureka Springs, Ark., Crested Butte, Colo., Ketchum, Idaho, Vineyard Haven, Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Lanesboro, Minn., Highlands, N.C., Taos, N.M., Marfa,Tex., Stowe, Vermont, Eastsound, Wash., and Sarasota, Fla.