A Future for Fond du Lac - Art City Wisconsin
March 11, 2021
I’d like to talk about the Artists Relocation Program of Paducah, KY. A group of concerned citizen in cooperation with a local bank and city government came together with a plan to revitalize a once grand but deteriorating neighborhood near it’s historic downtown on the Ohio River.
I watched this transformation occur over the last 18 years because Paducah is home to one of the largest consumer quilt shows in the country and my business vends at this show. Every April, I spent a week in Paducah and I saw the changes with my own eyes.
The Lower Town neighborhood was home to the city’s elite 100 years ago with beautiful homes near an historic downtown. The homes were gradually converted into apartments and the neighborhood deteriorated. A plan was formulated to revitalize the area.
A local bank pledged loans for the renovation and restoration to artists who would relocate to Paducah. For the artists this offered the promise of studio/living space at a price they could afford. For the city it provided a way to save an historic neighborhood and revitalize the adjacent downtown. Having the local bank and the city all in on the worst properties created a market for all of the properties in the district. It raised the property values of the entire neighborhood and also resulted in new construction on vacant lots.
It took 15 years but in 2017 Paducah KY was designed a UNESCO Creative City, one of only nine in the United States. It is a marvelous community with a population of only 24,000.
A similar program would work in Fond du Lac. In fact, we are better situated than Paducah was in 2002 when it’s program began. Full time artists need access to the corporate buyers in large art cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. We are 2.5 hrs from Chicago, Illinois. With our US 41 corridor we have almost twice the population in a 60 minute drive as well.
Also, our city is not as run down as Paducah was in 2002 and our downtown is in better shape. We have an established arts infrastructure with the Thema Sadoff center for the Arts, Riverwalk Art Center, Gallery and Frame Shop, Trista Holz Studio and Ubuntu Art space. We have a great foundation of galleries and working artists on which to build. PLUS, our community is affordable, safe and pollution -free. Just the kind of community that is attractive to young families. In addition, we have marvelous outdoor spaces that also make Fond du Lac a wonderful place to call home.
Here are some links with more information about Paducah:
http://paducahky.gov/lowertown-artist-program This page also has a short video as well as links to relevant city documents.