St. johnsbury, the gateway to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom off Interstates 93 and 91, comprises a downtown merchant district along Railroad Street and up hilly Eastern Avenue and an uptown district along Main Street, where three of the town's historic nonprofits—Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, and St. Johnsbury Academy—share the neighborhood. Just down the hill on Eastern Avenue sits Catamount Arts, the funky nerve center for film screenings and art exhibitions in town.

Approximately a year ago, these four nonprofits got together to begin to jointly promote the combined arts-andculture resources that exist within their organizations. They also struck up ways to develop new opportunities for collaboration to enhance St. Johnsbury's cultural climate and creative economy. The group, the Arts & Culture Alliance, is recognizing their proximate area in St. Johnsbury as the "Arts & Culture Campus."

"Along Main Street from the Fairbanks Museum to the corner of Main and Eastern Avenue at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, down to Catamount Arts and back over to St. Johnsbury Academy, we see a geographic link amid our shared traditions of arts programming and community outreach," said Jody Fried, executive director of Catamount Arts, founded in the 1970s by Vermont impresario and film director Jay Craven. "We view this area, which we're calling the Arts & Culture Campus, as a jumping off point for arts in our town, inclusive of all of greater St. Johnsbury. People can come to town and easily circulate through this area to enjoy a concentration of fun happenings."

The shared histories, largely descending from the vision and beneficence of the Fairbanks family, of Fairbanks Scales renown, and strengths in the arts of the four organizations will put a sharp focus on the rich cultural programs that St. Johnsbury offers to the public. For example, St. Johnsbury Academy, one of northern New England's leading independent day and boarding schools with students from 25 states and 27 countries, is a melting-pot of cultural diversity, hosting student concerts, theater, and guest speakers; while at the same time the Academy's historic Fuller Hall serves as one of the main venues for Kingdom County Productions events with nationally known acts such as Trombone Shorty and LeAnn Rimes. (Catamount, by the way, handles the ticket sales for these acts. Yes, lots of synergies have formed in this Vermont town.) The Alliance's logo and theme are meant to engage arts-lovers: "Get Inspired—St. Johnsbury's Arts & Culture Campus."

"Our efforts will be on coordinating events to give area residents and visitors a range of arts, culture, and educational activities, so once they're in town they have arts and entertainment opportunities throughout a day or a weekend," says Anna Rubin, director of external relations for the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, home of the Eye on the Sky guys broadcasting the weather on Vermont Public Radio. "With the local nonprofits working in collaboration, we see this as an exponential promotion of the arts in St. Johnsbury."

Matthew Powers, executive director of St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, a National Historic Landmark combining an art gallery and public library, adds, "The establishment of an Arts & Culture Campus is an innovative way of utilizing the strengths and mission of each participating organization to engage the community and enhance economic development."

There's a feeling of civic momentum in St. J—the town government is directing a renovation of the historic Pomerleau Building (which houses the Welcome Center) on Railroad Street, including a planned outdoor amphitheater space for public arts events. Renderings have been drawn up for possible development along the town's riverfront area and a recreational bike path will open this June. The St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce, the local downtown organization, offers everything from smallbusiness seminars for local merchants to an annual pet parade in June and a wealth of information for locals and visitors alike through the new website, stjchamber.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance kicked off joint promotions with First Night St. Johnsbury 2012, which was attended this year by 3,000 family revelers. The group intends to coordinate their efforts with other local arts organizations, businesses, and chambers of commerce.

"The St. Johnsbury Chamber of Commerce fully supports the efforts of this wonderful coalition of creative and cultural institutions here in St. J. We're excited by this new opportunity to help bring more attention to the creative economy in and around town," said Jeff Moore, president of the Chamber.

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