Additional panelists include recording legends Jack Douglas and Eddie Kramer, Renowned musicians Stewart Copeland (The Police) and Dug Pinnick (King’s X). With Brian Hardgroove moderating.

Gibson Guitar will open the doors to its LA showroom at 9:30 am on Wednesday, April 17 for an exclusive panel discussion featuring 2013 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee Chuck D of Public Enemy. Along with Chuck D, Gibson will play host to legendary producers Jack Douglas (The Who, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith), Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones), Stewart Copeland of The Police and Dug Pinnick of King’s X who will also participate in the panel discussion.

Conceived of by Brian Hardgroove, bassist and bandleader of Public Enemy for over 10 years, this forthright discussion will address the often-contentious questions:

-What is Rock & Roll?
-What genre should be in the Hall of Fame?
-What is the future of Rock & Roll?
-Chuck, Kramer, Douglas, Copeland and Pinnick will discuss these three topics and answer select questions from the audience.

The event will kick off with a performance by Public Enemy’s Johnny Juice and DJ Lord. The Gibson Guitar Showroom is located at 9350 Civic Center Drive, Suite 130 Beverly Hills, CA  90210. Space is limited. If you are interested in attending this event, please RSVP to Jennifer Feeney at Jennifer.Feeney@Gibson.com. This event is presented in partnership with Gibson Guitar, Stanton DJ, Sennheiser, and the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship (GCCE).

ABOUT GLOBAL CENTER FOR CULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

GCCE, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to the success of cultural entrepreneurs. GCCE, in partnership with Brian Hardgroove, is connecting leading musicians and producers to aspiring musicians through events, speakers series, and cultural entrepreneurship institutes.  GCCE provides entrepreneurs in the arts, film, music, fashion, crafts, and design fields with mentoring, business development, marketing expertise, and linkages to financing.

Contact Alice Loy, alice@culturalentrepreneur.org

GCCE on Facebook    Twitter  @culturalpreneur

ABOUT GIBSON GUITAR:

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. The Gibson Les Paul guitar is the best selling guitar of all time and bears the name of the late, great Les Paul. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar, the Gibson Robot Guitar, Gibson’s Dark Fire and the Gibson Dusk Tiger represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 75 years. Gibson is poised to release the its latest groundbreaking instrument, the Firebird X guitar, in early 2011. The Gibson Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Gibson Guitar Corp., and dedicates its time and services to making the place a better world for children through its support of music, education, health and human services. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Baldwin, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer.  Visit Gibson’s website at www.gibson.com or www.gibson.com/press.

Follow Gibson on Twitter at www.twitter/Gibson or on Facebook at www.facebook/Gibson.

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Entrepreneurs do create jobs and innovative products.  But they do more than this. Entrepreneurs shift the flow of resources, determine the direction of knowledge development, and reorganize social networks.

How do I know this? Because last year I completed my doctoral dissertation, based on 36 interviews with social and cultural entrepreneurs, from across the nation.  Over the next several weeks I will be posting excerpts from my dissertation, I hope these excerpts will inspire a greater curiosity about the role of entrepreneurs as social change agents.

Several months ago, while waiting at a red traffic light, I sat behind a beat-up old Subaru station wagon that, typical to cars driven by aging hippies in Santa Fe, hosted myriad political bumper stickers.  Among the many that reviled our former President (“Defoliate the Bushes”, “Bush is a Liar”), was one that espoused a more hopeful worldview:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” ~ Margaret Mead.

Ms. Mead, widely considered a leading cultural anthropologist of the 20th century, and highly regarded for her work in encouraging humankind to choose among its possible futures, believed that “cultural patterns of racism, warfare, and environmental exploitation were learned”.  Moreover, she believes that members of societies can work together to create new social structures, new social paradigms, in effect, to create social change.

As I sat behind that wagon I pondered the fact that from small groups of people meaningful social change has emerged.  Often relatively under-resourced and without apparent political power or social consequence, these groups pursue making their vision a reality and somehow make social change happen in our complex society.  “Social change” is popularly defined and understood to be the shifts in social structures, relations, and institutions, which result from social movements or radical events.  The academic literature defines social change similarly and Coleman writes of social change occurring as “social reality changes, through the invention of new forms of organization and the development of new processes.”  Notably, the altered social structure and relations that have resulted from innovative ideas ranging from America’s foundling democracy to women’s rights to the conservation movement have consistently been instigated by small groups of committed people.

Of course, these small groups are not isolated and entirely without resources; they operate in a web of relationships. They are networked.  And they are founded and led by intrepid entrepreneurs, individuals who pursue these opportunities to create change despite a lack of resources.  Instead of pursuing financial gain, these social entrepreneurs pursue social change.  These social entrepreneurs, while aiming for different outcomes than for-profit entrepreneurs, can be defined similarly to leaders of foundling for-profit ventures who similarly control few resources and strive to achieve outcomes despite this resource paucity (Byers, 2010; Shaw & Carter, 2007).

I wondered if they achieve their outcomes through communicating with established organizations and individuals who share their values and goals.  I wondered if instigators of start-up social change organizations intentionally use their social networks as complements to the resources they control.  Do they value networks, do they intentionally exchange and aggregate resources through networking?  Do they build their credibility and visibility, pursue financial resources, and discover new knowledge or opportunities in their field through social networking activities?  Do they plan for, aim for, and pursue outcomes through networking activities?  I scribbled down a question that had begun to form in my mind: “How do social change entrepreneurs perceive and utilize their social networks to achieve goals?”

The car behind me honked.  The light had turned green.

(Come back next week for the next installment…)

The post Cultural Entrepreneurs Create Social Change appeared first on Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship.

What Can You do on a Farm in New Mexico?

This week we are going through the results from our agritourism questionnaire done with over 150 farmers, market venues, and local food support organizations.  The results are exciting!  In New Mexico we have identified over 60 agritourism sites offering a dizzying array of experiences: mushroom hunting, fig tea leaf drinking, blue corn grinding, horno cooking, and more.  Our survey of sites is not complete and we encourage farmers to reach out to us and share their New Mexico offers food, farm, and culinary experiences unique to the US – even the world.

Over the next few months we will continue to collect information about the agritourism sites and experiences while creating a web-based map of these sites.  Help us tell the story of agritourism in New Mexico – post photos to our Pinterest, Like Us on Facebook, or send us an email (selena  AT   culturalentrepreneur.org) .

The post Agritourism in New Mexico: What’s the Story? appeared first on Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship.

As part of the Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative we are contributing to the field by adding the perspective of cultural entrepreneurs.  Over the past several weeks we have immersed ourselves in thinking about how cultural entrepreneurship can inform and catalyze economic and entrepreneurial gains through HOUSING.

Housing?  Yes!

Cultural entrepreneurs can be architects who imagine buildings that embrace cultural values, community planners who pursue a vision for a new development, and builders who create the spaces that host our cultural activities.  The housing and construction industries offers new market opportunities for cultural entrepreneurs.

Let’s imagine, for example, that your community has a development plan for 28 new homes and a community center.  Architects can design the structures, planners can help engage the community.  Hopefully these skilled professionals are closely tied to the values of the community.  This way, they can ask and explore with the community, “What are the guiding principles that will lead to a built environment that fosters cultural activity, offers small business opportunity to local entrepreneurs, and creates the spaces that shape our community?”

In Native communities these questions can be different from other communities, Native communities value traditions and communication patterns that are unique from non-Native values.  For example, in many Native communities inter-generational living situations foster cultural continuity and language learning.  Single family dwellings make this arrangement difficult, the loss of Native language and traditions ensues. We have witnessed some Native communities’ struggle to continue traditions, like dances in the Plaza, when the new development lacks a Plaza.

We didn’t figure everything out during our 3-day gathering, but we did identify next steps and plans for creating tools that will support visionaries people working to design and build resilient indigenous communities.  Take a look at the Summary of our Working Group and contact us for more information.

The post Designing Resilient Indigenous Communities appeared first on Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship.

1) Purple Adobe Lavender Farm: Elizabeth and Roger Inman’s farm is located in beautiful Abiquiu in Northern New Mexico. Once you’re there you can take a tour of the farm, watch steam distillation demonstrations, and check out their super cute lavender gift store. (www.purpleadobelavenderfarm.com)  

2) Estrella Del Norte Winery and Vineyard is one of Northern New Mexico’s hidden gems. Eileen and Richard Reinders opened their doors in 2008 among the cottonwood trees in Chimayo, New Mexico. You can stop by for a wine tasting or attend one of their many events; like chocolate and wine pairing. (www.estrelladelnortevineyard.com)

3) Marigold and Harvest Festival is happening THIS weekend in Albuquerque, Saturday, October 20th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Morning yoga, cooking demos, farm food, and live music- count me in and I hope you see you there!

4) Martinez Apple Orchard is the ruby of the Dixon Valley. Take a scenic drive to Dixon (on your way to Taos) to purchase fresh from the field apples and peaches.

5) McCall’s Pumpkin Patch: Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, pick your own pumpkin from the field, try to find your way through the 16-acre corn maze, feed the farm animals, race a pedal kart, slide, launch a pumpkin, mine for gemstones, shop, eat…& much, much more! (www.mccallpumpkinpatch.com)

and one for the road- Santa Fe Walkabouts is rated #1 by Tripadvisor for tours in Santa Fe. Sue and Georges Mally can customize your New Mexican agritourism adventure for you.

-Enjoy!

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Recently, I was invited to chair a session and speak at the 4^th Annual Western Consortium Tri-State Meeting in Sun Valley Idaho, April 2-4, 2012. The National Science Foundation EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) has joined programs forming a consortium of EPSCoR states with similar research agendas related to climate change and water resources. The consortium model significantly increase opportunities for scientific collaborative and enhances each state’s ability to secure competitive funding and tackle complex climate change research agendas.

My presentation on “Building a Sustainable Native Community” was a bit “outside” of the box for the attendees, as our work with SNCC is to build a nationwide network of tribal leaders, builders, architects, and entrepreneurs.  Our goal is foster the success of endeavors that weave cultural, ecological, and economic considerations in design and building in tribal communities. Although, this kind of work was very new and somewhat unfamiliar to many of the scientist who attended, my session had the most attendees. After the presentations, I had numerous people come up and comment on how they never thought about work such as SNCC. One particular individual, Dr. Alessa Lilian Na’ia, a well-known Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Geography & Environmental Sciences from the University of Alaska was so thrive and excited about the SNCC work, she invited me to attend a panel in June in Alaska.

As part of the session, I invited a very good friend, and royalty of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe of Idaho. Alexandria Alverez, who is Miss Shoshone-Bannock 2011-2012. I asked Miss Shoshone-Bannock for an opening welcome during the session; this being appropriate as we were all in her homeland, plus with only five Natives attended, she brought the “Native” into the atmosphere as she wrote her traditional clothing.

The session also included a presentation from Sammy L. Matsaw, Jr. from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe on “Using Science to Explore Our Paths: Western Science with Native Perspective,” and also a presentation by Mahesh R. Gautam on “Collaborative modeling and integrated framework of climate change vulnerability assessment for Native American Tribes.”

The post Think Native in Western Science appeared first on Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship.

That’s where the Alvarado Urban Farm comes in. Their goal is to become a local food hub and community space– to set up a farmers market on Wednesday afternoons for commuters (on their way to or from the Railrunner) and local residents. Along with 40 some-odd raised planting beds and several bocce courts, there are plans to build a gazebo and market building, and to host community events such as lectures, and concerts. Some of their partners include Amy Biehl High School and the Veteran’s Farm Project. In the near future they have plans to partner with a local daycare to teach a younger generation about urban farming.

Alvarado Urban Farm is a great example of local agritourism. Tying agriculture and community together in one space (in the middle of a city, I might add) is amazing! If you are on your way to a show at The Box, headed to the train, or just walking around downtown Albuquerque I recommend you stop by the Alvarado Urban Farm at 101 Silver Ave SW to see all of the great work they are doing.

At the end of the tour we were handed scissors and a bag and were told “now go get your hands dirty”. I went home with a bag full of freshly dug carrots and collard greens.

The post Get your hands dirty in New Mexico: Agritourism appeared first on Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship.

PHOTO CREDIT: Larry Lamsa

1.  Farmers benefit economically from more visitors coming to their farms to pick and buy produce; take classes; and in some cases, stay over on the farm.

2. Farm and winery visitors infuse cash into the region by shopping, eating in restaurants, and staying overnight in hotels.

3. Farm to Table programs expand.

4. Vineyard visitors increase brand awareness and sales of local wines.

5. Farmers markets become a must-do local experience.

6.  Land, native foods, and seed growing traditions are preserved.

7.   Farmers’ off-season income is diversified, and farming becomes a more sustainable form of livelihood.

8.  An increased demand for farm internships educates a new generation of farmers.

9. Healthy small farms provide local food for your community. 

The post 9 Reasons to Develop an Agritourism Corridor in Your Region appeared first on Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship.

ABOVE: Attendees at the Cultural Corridor Planning Meeting

In February GCCE gathered leaders of Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque to plan implementation of the Northern New Mexico Cultural Corridor.

Tourism is a critical economic driver for states. In New Mexico, tourism-related spending annually contributes $5.5B to the economy, including $770million in tax receipts.  Yet, our market share in the regional and national markets continues to fall.  GCCE is leading an effort to work collaboratively to build a vibrant regional brand that will penetrate this competitive marketplace, bring more travelers to our region, and strengthen the businesses and communities of northern New Mexico.

For more on our Cultural Corridor strategy, visit our website.

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