The Artisans Courtyard Volunteer Network operated an arts-focused site in Cooks Creek Park from 2011-2013 with the aims of revitalizing the town and attracting visitors. While some achievements were made like attracting over 1200 visitors and funding community events, market setbacks like declining tourism numbers challenged sustainability. In response, the Network diversified venues and suggested future uses for the site like partnering with the Historical Society or expanding programming. Due to difficulties, the Network decided to end operations and requested a presentation to discuss lessons learned and ideas for Cooks Creek Park's future.

1. Artisans Courtyard
An overview of our 2011-13 experience,
with suggestions for the future
Artisans Courtyard Volunteer Network

2. Initial Hopes
Town of Dayton Aims
•Find a new use for a former skateboard park
•Attract visitors and shoppers to the community
•Make the site attractive for bids by a future long-term lessee
Our Aims
•Try out a “quickstart” strategy for arts-led revitalization based on low-cost
buildings and volunteer labor
•Have volunteers share in up to 50% of the revenues from a successful tender by
the Town of the Courtyard site, to a commercial partner of its choosing
•Have revenues from the long term lease tender also flow to downtown
beautification projects and to spreading art-related skills

3. Achievements
2011
•Artisans Courtyard Volunteer Network forms as a nonprofit Virginia business trust (November)
•Artists buy, set up two buildings at Cooks Creek Park after Town Council approval (November)
•Courtyard attracts 500+ visitors during November/December
2012
•Two more artists buy buildings, open shops at Courtyard (March)
•Town completes Cooks Creek parking lot improvements, building for Coop (March-September)
•Advertising, free publicity, and Courtyard-sponsored music events draw about 1200 visitors in the April-July
period
•Donated works by Courtyard and Co-op artisans help to fund two downtown concerts with Eve Watters and
JMU Music Faculty (September and December)
2013
•Arts of the World Gallery launches 3D Printer “MakerSpace” and video studio for free community use
•Volunteers offer free Learning Labs in Google Sketchup 3D modeling
•Donated works by Courtyard and Co-op artisans raise funds for two more downtown concerts

4. Market Setbacks
-
Massanutten: an estimated 50% decline due to drop in timeshare vacationers
-
Tour buses: uninterested in a Courtyard stop unless >45
minutes of shopping can be provided
-
Special music events: Bluegrass and other festivals attracted
quality performers, but failed to cover costs
-
Dayton Autumn Festival: about 100 attendees visited Courtyard
in 2012 (this rose to around 200 in 2013, after the Town
included the Courtyard as a stop on the shuttle cart route)
-
Pullouts by galleries and exhibitors: Bondurant Mountain Arts
moved out building in Q3 of 2012. Temporary exhibitors and
food vendors once active at CY tapered off starting in July,
2012.

5. Our Response to Market Setbacks
During 2012 and 2013, we launched:
•live demonstrations of 3D printing
and “arts of resilience” innovations at
the Courtyard
•silent auctions of donated art to fund
downtown Dayton music events and
“Colors of Dayton” minimurals
•other venues for Artisan Galleries
Cooperative members to show and
sell art (in Harrisonburg, Verona,
Massanutten) to avoid further loss of
our artist/artisan base

6. Other Setbacks
 The Town-Courtyard agreement hindered our ability
to attract and hold volunteers (Appendix A)
 Riverwalk did not happen (Appendix B)
 The 2013 Spring Arts fair – originally seen as a
Courtyard-centered event – was folded into a townwide festival (Appendix C)
 Communications from the Town marked an endpoint
(Appendix D)

7. ACVN Decisions in Response
The board of the Artisans Courtyard Volunteer
Network acted on December 30, 2013 to:
•Suspend operations immediately
•Notify Town of the remaining shop-owners’ intent to
move their structures from site (before the Town’s Q2
sidewalk construction)
•Request a presentation to the Dayton Town Council
on Courtyard experiences, and on ideas for future uses
of the Cooks Creek site

8. Suggestions for Cooks Creek Park
• Focus on Festivals. The Town has a prospect to earn more than
$3000 directly from short-term site rental in 2014 (and in
subsequent years), by assigning 10-20 vendors to the location for the
Spring Redbud Arts and Crafts Festival and the Autumn Festival.
• Explore a partnership with the Historical Society. The site
could be a venue for outdoor attractions relating to the history of
the Valley (see the religious freedom walkway example in Appendix
E).
• Expand the site. A combined Cooks Creek Riverwalk/Silver
Lake/College Street Park attraction might draw many more
visitors. This would make it easier for the Town to generate a yearround flow of customers, and lift the interest of future vendors and
commercial or civic groups in a partnership for the Cooks Creek
site.

9. Timeline for Next Steps
January
•Presentation by Courtyard founders to the next Town Council meeting.
•Inventory of ACVN assets for conveyance, including the sound system cabinet, a 100
watt amp, DVD player, and all-weather speakers, cedar hitch and signposts, and the
Polly Nunn memorial bench.
•Signing of lease termination agreement with mutual release of claim by the Town of
Dayton and Artisans Courtyard Volunteer Network.
•Scheduling of building moveout.
February/March
•ACVN windup.
•Clearing of site. Owners of shops will vacate the site before the Redbud Spring Arts
Festival, so the Town can realize its full value in leasing it to future vendors.

10. Appendix A
Original basis for volunteer benefit
Actual basis (In the signed March, 2012
(presented by ACVN as basis for immediate building
purchases by our artists in time for the Town-requested
Courtyard start date of November 26, 2011)
agreement, the Town stipulated that Artisan
Courtyard volunteers could only begin to share in
revenue if the Town received more than $60K from its
chosen commercial partner)

11. Appendix B – Riverwalk
Courtyard volunteers had hoped
at the time of our March, 2012
lease signing that a “Riverwalk”
expansion area would help the
Town attract commercial
partners willing to pay more
than $60,000 for the Cooks
Creek site
Silver Lake Mill
Artisans Courtyard
“Music Park”
On College Street

12. Appendix C – Spring Festival
During the October 2012 Autumn Festival, approximately
100 people visited the Courtyard. This was on a day when
more than 10,000 visitors came to Dayton. (Town-provided
shuttles did not include the Courtyard as a stop.)
Facing moveouts by disappointed Courtyard shopowners, the
Artisans Courtyard Volunteer Network asked for a meeting
with the Mayor and Town Manager. We suggested an
annual new Spring Arts Festival to be centered at the
Courtyard, so that the Courtyard could receive a share of the
proceeds from the event, and sustain shops and vendors at the
Cooks Creek site.
A Courtyard-centered annual arts and crafts fair did not
materialize. Fewer than 200 visitors came to the Courtyard at
the Dayton-wide April 25, 2013 combined Spring festival,
even with the Courtyard’s inclusion on the shuttle route.

13. Appendix D
A growing sense that volunteer efforts would not be
rewarded led Courtyard volunteers to stop logging time
in 2012 (thus forgoing any claim on proceeds from a
future tender of the site). In 2013, critical illnesses and
the death of Co-op member affected the Courtyard’s
hours of operation.

14. Appendix E
As a potential attraction to bring more visitors the Cooks Creek
site, the Courtyard walkway might show highlights of Dayton’s –
and the Valley’s – history. Below are photos taken by ACVN
volunteer John Rudmin of a walkway near Williamsburg,
Virginia, commemorating key dates in the growth of religious
freedom.