Em Johnson
Executive Director, Blue Sky Center
Session: Rural Prosperity through the Arts and Creative Sector (Friday 1:30 – 3:15pm)
Through
measured and deliberate work, Em leads rural innovation through social
enterprises and systems thinking. She is motivated by holistic community
investment that uses celebratory tools of art, and creative community
engagement. She is often bringing people together over food. At Blue Sky
Center, Em connects people to resources, developing a self-sufficient
model by blending entrepreneurial initiatives to reclaim the power of
rural resiliency.
Blue Sky Center is is a nonprofit community organization in New Cuyama, CA working in the multi-faceted arenas of rural community development by supporting a local economy based on entrepreneurship and a “Made in Cuyama” ethic. Like
so many places, New Cuyama and the Cuyama Valley face the impacts of
globalization, namely when a single company once provided the majority
of employment and infrastructural support. Depopulation across rural
America has left communities to deal with inefficiencies of scale and
underutilized, aging infrastructure, stymied by the ethos of “what used
to be.” Rather than corporate or governmental leadership, rural
communities often look to faith-based organizations, civic groups, and
neighbors to carry the community safety net. By addressing the root
causes of inequity within our rural places, community leaders can forge
more effective public-private collaboration across all sectors,
ultimately supporting rural opportunity and investment.
Our
facility, a sprawling midcentury industrial commercial complex (which
once was Atlantic Richfield Oil) is developing to be a cornerstone of
small business and local economic progress for the Cuyama Valley
communities. Our community steers the future of our valley through
collaborative decision-making and ownership, becoming the vehicle of
equitable investment for our existing economic sectors. Blue Sky
Center’s mission is to strengthen our rural communities within the
Cuyama Valley by supporting entrepreneurs and building our regional
creative and economic resources by: Using creative community engagement
strategies to support housing and community infrastructure; hosting
rural practitioners to co-author impactful, progressive work with our
community; providing direct technical assistance to small manufacturers /
enterprises; researching food processing, aggregation, and distribution
infrastructure; and developing space and amenities for small startups
and existing businesses.
Em invites you to visit the Cuyama Valley and welcomes opportunities for cultural exchange!