What happens when small towns try to jump-start their economies with arts centers and cultural offerings? We find out with a road trip to Joseph, Burns, and Mighty Tieton, Washington.

First Stop: Burns, Oregon

In the 1970s, Burns was one of the wealthiest counties in the state per capita. Now, it's near the bottom.


They’ve tried everything to turn things around: secondary wood products, agricultural products, restarting the lumber industry.

Now a dedicated group of artists, arts educators and arts supporters think they should try something new: a Performing Arts and Education Center. The group, spearheaded by the Harney County Arts in Education Foundation, organized a symposium in May around the center potential to drive economic development.

14:20 - Next Up: Tieton, Washington.

You can get your whole community together to talk about the arts and spend years getting buy-in from partners at all levels. Or you can just have one person come in, open the wallet, and re-set the playing field.

That's what happened in Tieton, Washington.

After publisher Ed Marquand got stuck patching a flat tire while riding through the small hamlet, he noticed a number of empty warehouses and storefronts. So he rallied some of his Seattle friends and started buying up to properties and converting them into creative workshops, live/work spaces and condos. This is the story of how they transformed the town into a creative destination with a project they dubbed "Might Tieton."
28:08 - Final Festination: Joseph, Oregon.

What can you say about Joseph? It's a picture perfect town at the base of the picture perfect Wallowa Mountains.

But it wasn't always that way.

"It was the poster child for economic depression," said sculptor Shelley Curtis, who moved there in the early 80s. "Probably 70 percent of the storefronts on Main Street were vacant."

What was it that made Joseph such a perfect melting pot for arts and the economy? We find out.

42:05 - Parting Treat: The Jennings Hotel.

Greg Hennes knows a thing or two about the romance of rusticity. He created both Campfire Cologne, which is basically a chunk of wood and a match, and Antler and Company, which sells all things made of antlers. But now he's taking his love to Joseph. Earlier this year, he bought the hundred-year-old Jennings Hotel and then raised $100,000 via Kickstarter to remodel it into a boutique hotel and artist residency. And that's just the beginning.

For more, see our show page:
http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/stateofwonder/segment/state-of-wonder-august-15-2015-arts-and-small-towns-a-love-story/