NEW LONDON — The Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce (LSRCC) will highlight the theme of New Hampshire’s creative economy and present its annual awards chosen by its members to the business and community member of the year at its Annual Meeting and Dinner on Jan. 15 at Colby-Sawyer College in New London.
The LSRCC services businesses, nonprofits and other organizations in the Sullivan and Merrimack Counties and has 240 members. Its annual meeting will feature updates by chamber board members, demonstrations by three local artisans and two guest speakers who will discuss the creative economy and its major economic impacts on the region and the state.
Guest speaker Lisa Burk-McCoy, grants coordinator for Creative Communities with the New Hampshire Council on the Arts, will discuss “New Hampshire arts mean business.”Her talk will focus on the nature and scope of our creative economy and its growing economic impacts. In her work with the state Council on the Arts,Burk-McCoy supports the creative sector’s efforts to collaborate with other economic sectors and build robust and sustainable communities across the state.
Tim Sink, longtime president and CEO of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, will discuss “How the Creative Economy is changing the face of Concord.” Sink serves as a liaison to Concord chamber’s Creative Concord initiative, which for the past decade has effectively collaborated with business, nonprofit, and community leaders to strengthen and diversify the capital city’s economy.
The creative economy, cited by the N.H. Bureau of Economic Analysis as a $2.3 billion industry in 2015, is made up of artists, artisans, nonprofit organizations and creative businesses that produce and distribute artistic and cultural goods and services that benefit local, regional and state economies. By creating jobs and businesses in the cultural, fine and applied arts, the creative economy represents a fast-growing sector has brought new economic opportunities and growth to communities across the state.
Three Lake Sunapee Region artisans will also display their work and offer pieces for sale at the annual meeting. They include Jay Aubertin of Wilmot and Peter Bloch and Megan Cordillo of New London.
Aubertin specializes in the manipulation of metal to create both practical and decorative pieces. He has a strong background in welding and fabrication and enjoys utilizing other materials such as wood, copper and leather in his work. His business, J.A. MetalCraft, celebrates the innate beauty of the materials used and the perennial relevance of quality custom products that can be enjoyed and handed down through generations.
Peter Bloch is one of the most respected woodturners in the country, known for the beauty and artistry of his translucent wood lampshades. In recent years, he has also moved into creative aerial photography as an FAA-licensed commercial drone pilot and founder of EarthAerial Productions. Bloch’s new artistic venture is focused on capturing nature and rural landscapes from above.
Megan Cardillo paints colorful and often whimsical scenes and messages on wood and teaches art at the Hanover Street School. Cardillo is often involved in a variety of community campaigns in which her work and that of other artists/artisans are employed to raise awareness and funds for a variety of important social causes.
The 2019 Annual Meeting and Dinner takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Wheeler Hall at Colby-Sawyer College on 541 Main Street in New London. Reservations are required tickets are $40 for LRSCC for members and $50 non-members.
To register, visit the events section ofwww.lakesunapeeregionchamber.comor contact the chamber office directly [email protected] or 603-526-6575.
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