Submitted photo The Create Community LLA board is pictured. Front row, from left, are Jenny Phillips, Dani Flasher, Colleen Sloan and Jennifer Bliss. Back row, from left, are Anne Schwanke, Nichole Neukem, Erien Wallace and Aaron Burdick. Not pictured is Kristine Peterson.

A group of area residents is trying to establish a local community arts agency.

Create Community LLA members hope to support artists and arts organizations by promoting, networking, opportunity sharing and connecting to grants and other funding sources. Recognizing a need for community development and driven by Warren Worx, WCCBI and the current mental health climate, Create Community Director Erin Wallace began the process of improving the community of Warren through the arts after attending an event at the Crary Art Gallery presented by Erie Arts & Culture.

“Warren County is absolutely rich with art, culture and heritage,” Wallace said. “Quality of life varies for everyone. We have nature and sports and fitness covered.”

Having received official non-profit status only weeks ago, work can begin now bringing forth a vibrant arts community to the Warren area. Wallace said those involved in the early stages hope to create a freestanding arts and culture center with gallery space, teaching spaces and space for retail sales that incorporates innovation and intergenerational connections where the aging population can share their talents, stories and history with younger generations.

Wallace also sees potential in improving and driving the economy of Warren by bringing art, artists and events to the area. Work is in the early stages now, with the next steps including culture mapping and a community survey.

“Artists and organizations in the area are so vast,” Wallace said. “We want to tap into all of it.”

The immediate need is funding.

“We need $5000 to pay our insurance for at least one year and to get going,” Wallace said.

Insurance coverage will allow Create Community to begin going into spaces and offering classes that will bring in monies for further programming. Volunteers are also needed in the arenas of fundraising and legal/financial guidance. Hoping to add to the diversity of the group, Create Community would like to see more men get involved.

Lifetime and yearly memberships at all levels are already available on the Create Community website where online donations are also accepted. For memberships, donations, volunteer and a more in-depth look at the activities Create Community Local Arts Agency hopes to add to Warren and its communities, visit www.createcommunitylla.com.