4K Sunday Gazette-Mail, February 28, 2016
By Emma FisherFor the Gazette-Mail
The Tamarack Foundation’sRural to Urban Markets pro-gram is the nonprofit organiza-tion’s flagship venture. Born outof the expertise and understand-ing earned from more than 10years invested in growing smallcreative enterprises in West Vir-ginia, Rural to Urban Marketspositions craft and fine art busi-nesses to launch from local andregional customers into the na-tional marketplace. The pro-gram’s chief objective is to assistbusiness owners who are at theedge of making it big with tak-ing the next leap necessary tofurther their careers.
Creative business owners par-ticipating in the Rural to UrbanMarkets program are at a criticaljuncture — they have establishedcompanies, happy buyers andproduce a range of well-craftedwork. They are ready to movetheir businesses to the next lev-el by accessing larger markets,but see the financial commit-ment involved and understandthat new types of businessknow-how may be required.
While taking part in this three-year intensive program, partici-pants receive technical training,one-on-one advice from creativepeers and financial support —assets offered to offset risk andallow these creative entrepre-neurs to take their businessesfurther while maintaining asustainable growth rate.
“We are providing the essen-tials needed to push these smallbusinesses to the next level-tech-nical skills, a network of success-ful professionals to look to foradvice, and financial backing,”said Tamarack Foundation exec-utive director Alissa Novoselick.
“We are building the next Fi-esta’s and Blenko’s right in thebackyards of West Virginianstoday. These business ownersare some of West Virginia’sgreatest cultural exports to thenation and to the world. Theyrepresent not only an opportuni-ty for improved fiscal health forour great state, but also theopening of a door to break downnegative stereotypes about ourculture.”
The Rural to Urban Marketsprogram was built on the suc-cesses of helping craft business-es grow by facilitating opportu-nities to attend national-leveltrade shows where wholesaleand retail buyers as well as ma-jor media companies, like Mar-tha Stewart Living Omnimedia,scout for new talent.
Much pressure is riding onpositive achievements at presti-gious, national-level trade showswhere small business ownershave the potential to turn whatis sometimes a secondary meansof income into a full-time career.Success is defined by long hoursof preparation and planningprior to the show including de-signing and building trade showbooths, creating top-notch mar-keting and presentation materi-als, and practicing stand-outsalesmanship skills.
These well-established tradeshows are located in major met-ropolitan areas. Rural to Urbanparticipants have and will takepart in shows like: AmericanMade (Washington, DC); Amer-ican Craft Council Shows (Balti-more, MD; Atlanta, GA; andothers); NY NOW (New York,NY); and American Craft Retail-ers Expo (Philadelphia, PA andLas Vegas, NV).
Fifteen business owners arecurrently participating in theprogram and five have graduat-ed. For several, support receivedthrough this program has al-lowed them to shift or sustaintheir work to a full-time capacityas their primary source of in-come.
Businesses such as MatthewThomas’ woodworking companyThomas|Work are now WestVirginia success stories that areknown to a wide-ranging audi-ence. Thomas|Work productshave been finalists and winnersat the nationally-recognizedNiche Awards for three years ina row, and his accelerated busi-ness growth is often cited as amodel by leaders of the Wash-ington, DC-based AmericanMade trade show.
For artist Nellie Rose Davis ofNellie Rose Textiles, a NicheAward finalist this year, the pro-gram was more than an oppor-tunity to further her career goals.It represented the chance to re-turn home. Tamarack Founda-tion’s former executive directorSally Barton was scouting fortalent in Virginia when shefound the Elkins native and en-couraged her to return to WestVirginia. Davis is now based inThomas, W.Va., but sells herwork in shops and galleries fromcoast to coast across the UnitedStates.
“Three years ago I decided todive in and attempt to become afull-time textile artist,” Davissaid.
“The Tamarack Foundationwas and continues to be abso-lutely crucial in making this areality. In the jump from hobbyor interest to full-time artist, youhave to learn how to run a smallbusiness that adheres to whatyou find valuable in this world.I am forever grateful that I getto live rurally, surrounded bynatural beauty and an outstand-ing community, and that I get tocreate in small batches, further-ing my exploration of slow-fiberand slow-fashion.”
Building on this positive mo-mentum, the foundation has
added a new track for fine artbusinesses owners. Under thistrack, fine artists — such asphotographers, painters, and il-
lustrators — are offered a uniqueset of services to help push theirwork into the national market-place.
Three business owners arecurrently in the pilot year of thisnew initiative. For photographerJohn Ryan Brubaker, the foun-dation offered assistance withpurchasing professional, customframing for a new series of art-work. These works were de-buted this past fall at CarnegieHall in Lewisburg, and Brubakeris currently applying to galleriesto travel the photographs outsideof the region.
Spotlight on participants inthe rural to urban marketsprogram
n Ceramicist Norma Acorduses a unique double glazingprocess to produce elegant,organic forms on functionalpieces such as cups, bowls, andvases (normaacordceramics.com).
n Photographer John RyanBrubaker has created a seriesof artworks featuring the NorthFork Blackwater River in Thom-as, W.Va, using a newly-adapted,early film developing processthat employs the chemical ele-ments of the acid-mine drainagein the river. “On Confluence”will be on view at the WhiteRoom Art Gallery in Thomas inMay 2016 (jrbrubaker.com).
n Furniture-maker and wood-worker Joseph Elbert leveragesinspiration from architecturalgreats such as Frank LloydWright to create functional fur-niture with an Art Deco twist.He is best known for his signa-ture lamps (josephelbert.com).
n Potter Lisa Kovatch’s min-imal designs of leaves, birdsand fish are amplified throughthe use of vibrant color infolksy, earthenware mugs,plates, bowls and more (lkpot-tery.com).
n Illustrator Brenda Pinnell(affectionately known as the“can opener”) produces humor-ous greeting cards and orna-ments centered on the adven-tures of rising cat star Mr. FluffyButt and a rotating cast of irrev-erent felines (hepcatzdesign.com).
n Furniture-maker andwoodworker Daniel Riffleapplies newly imaginative de-sign approaches to traditionalpieces such as desks, candle-sticks, lamps and decorativeboxes.
Leather artist KimberlyTrathen produces bags, walletsand other items from repur-posed leather goods such ascoats and jackets. The artistthen takes the scraps from thiswork and uses traditionalquilting techniques to createinventive wall hangings (back-stitched.com).
The next application roundfor the Rural to Urban Marketsprogram will open in the sum-mer of 2016. Interested busi-ness owners are encouraged tosign up for the TamarackFoundation email list as an“Artist” to be notified when theapplication process opens.
Visit the Tamarack Foundation atwww.tamarackfoundation.org to join
the email list and see a complete list ofprogram participants.
Tamarack’s creative wonderland makes opportunity for artists
WA N T T O G O ?
Tamarack FoundationCelebration Happy HourLearn about the refreshed pro-grams and services of thefoundation and meet the orga-nization’s leaders.
WHEN: March 4, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30p.m.
WHERE: Apartment Earth Gallery,221 Hale Street, Charleston
TAMARACK FOUNDATION | Courtesy photos
Furniture-maker and woodworker Daniel Riffle uses a modern approach to create traditional pieces such as desks, candlesticks, lamps anddecorative boxes.
Illustrator Brenda Pinnell with some of her original creations centered on the adventures of a rising catstar and a rotating cast of irreverent felines.
Photographer John Ryan Brubaker creates unusual images with anearly film developing process that relies on the chemical makeupfound in the North Fork Blackwater River.
Two of the decorative boxes made by woodworker Daniel Riffle.
Leather bags, wallets and other items created by Kimberly Trathenfrom re-purposed leather goods.
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