In the News -
February 2008
We All Have a Story to Tell - the Incredible Story of Colquitt, Georgia
Some stories are timeless, and this is one of them.
"You've got a story. I've got a story. We all have a story to tell," says Joy
Links from the Colquitt Miller Arts Council. "What I've learned is the
importance of stories. They tell us who we are, where we came from, and where
we are going." Links and Karen Kimbrel traveled from rural Georgia to share
their story at the Extraordinary Communities Conference in Conway County a few
years ago, developed with the guidance of Dr. Vaughn Grisham from the University
of Mississippi.
Colquitt is a town of 2,000 people in a county of 6,000 people. The
county was losing population from manufacturing plants closing and decline in
agricultural employment.
"In 1992, we were looking at how we could celebrate our 75th
anniversary, so we created a play, and we called it Swamp Gravy," Links said. "We've given our community a stage. You want to create something that is so
interesting, everyone wants to be a part of it. We have a cast of from 75 to
125 people, and over 130,000 people have seen it since we started 13 years ago.
We have performed at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in the Georgia
Governor's mansion.
Swam Gravy has caused many things to happen:
1) Mural project - Colquitt was named Georgia's First Mural City. We
now have 10 murals completed, and people who travel all over the world
to look at murals come to Colquitt.
2) Museum project - We created a local museum, with local people
bringing in historical things with stories.
3) Market in the Square - A mini-mall concept with over 20 vendors
that serves as a small business incubator and a test market for small
businesses. Since we started, 13 businesses have opened.
4) Tarrer Inn - A Victorian Inn and restaurant, built in 1905, was
been restored as a 17-room bed and breakfast.
5) New Life Learning Center has a pottery studio, after school art
enrichment program, and summer arts program.
6) A Southern Christmas Carol - takes the traditional Dickens story
and adds a southern twist. 27 performances were held last year.
7) Swamp Gravy has worked with other communities to create oral
history-based projects. It has been replicated in 10 states and Brazil.
8) The Community Development Corporation of Southwest Georgia was
created to develop affordable housing and economic development. The CDC
received a $150,000 grant for capacity building, and a $3 million
project to build 32 low and moderate income apartments."
The impact of these activities and the Swamp Gravy Institute are impressive.
The Institute:
- Started with a budget of $2,000 in 1989, and grew to $2
million in 2005,
- Employs more than 80 people, now the fifth largest employer
in Miller County,
- Acted as a catalyst to renovate five historic buildings,
- Sponsored a Creating Creative Communities Conference,
- Established the Southwest Georgia Film Commission Office to
produce low-budget films, and
- Created $13 million in cash and building renovations.
To learn more about the Swamp Gravy Institute, just search for Swamp Gravy
Institute on Google.
Finally, we were delighted to hear that the Arts Council of Conway County,
Conway County Vision 2020, and the U of A Winthrop Rockefeller Center received a
grant from the Swamp Gravy Institute for the development of a community play.
The grant will support the involvement of Swamp Gravy Institute staff from
Colquitt, Georgia, to come and guide the development of a community play in Conway
County.
February 1, 2008
By: Dr. Mark Peterson
Extension Professor-Community Development
(501) 671-2253
mpeterson@uaex.edu
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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