Anita Lamb Sorrill and her husband Kevin were looking for a way to live closer to where both worked,
When she saw an article about the Provenance Project in the Riverfront Times in St. Louis. The article,
Written by Linn Ayers of Hannibal, Described the organization that was founded to bring artists together along Missouri 79 for "50 Miles of Art" which stretch from Hannibal south to Louisiana and Clarksville.
The Sorrills moved to Hannibal three years ago to join the group of artisans on the tour. The project has succeeded in attracting numerous artists and artisans who like Anita Sorrill, have enjoyed the camaraderie of being a group, as well as having a larger market for the fruits of their labor.
Sorrill makes Victorian, Chinese, Tribal and Native American jewelry at her shop, A Handmade Life, At 3905 Highway MM. She also is a nurse at Hannibal Regional Hospital, and her shop is open Saturdays. Her husband works for Verizon, formerly GTE In Pitsfield, Ill.
Sorrill and artist Cindy Logan Have an art show opening today at the Hannibal Arts Council studio at 1221 Market St. The show is free and will continue until the end of May, and is open during HAC regular hours, weekdays form 10a.m. to 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
Sorrill said the best thing about being part of the Provenance Project is "being able to network with the other people in the (artisans) guild. I have learned a lot from the people that have more business acumen than I do. You get a lot of reinforcement for your creativity, which is very important and an inspiration."
Chad Taylor, whose American Woodworking Inc. at 114 S Third St. in Hannibal also is on the tour, agrees with Sorrill about enjoying the interaction with other artist. "It's just a lot of interacting and talking with other artists in the group," he said. It also gives him a connection with the artists in Louisiana and Clarksville, he added.
Taylor has lived in Hannibal since 1990, so he was already there when the Provenance Project began. He said being involved in the tour "is good exposure. I like being involved in it and have heard a lot of good things about it."
Taylor enjoys meeting the people who arrive in Hannibal to take the tour. They come in-groups of four to six, or in twos, He said he has met people from St. Paul, Minn., although a large number are from St. Louis and Chicago. They may take the tour any time or on the two annual tours, in the spring and fall, this year on Nov. 2 and 3.
People who have received the brochure and the new map come at various times of the year, Taylor said. "A lot tell me they have read about it on the Internet and just want to come and do the 50-mile tour."
The Provenance Project has helped to attract artists and artisans to the Hannibal, Clarksville and Louisiana areas, but it has done much more than that. According to the organizers, the project was planned to not only provided on artistic smorgasbord, but also an economic boost to the area, as it offers travelers incentives to stay longer.
Steve Ayers, President of Great River Road Guild of Professional Artisans, Said it is an example of "counties and cities working together. This is not as much about artists as about hotels and restaurants and businesses, and the need of cities and counties to help develop small retail businesses."
A national award has been received by the Provenance Project from the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities in Washington, D.C.
On Tuesday the award was presented by Ayers to the City of Hannibal, during the city council meeting, and also to Marion County, which was represented by the county commissioners, Lyndon Bode, Marion County presiding commissioner, later said, "we are really pleased to work with a number of different groups and organizations such as the City of Hannibal, and other Counties and Cities, through the Northeast Missouri Development Authority."
Ayers said this agency in Washington usually honors multi-million dollar projects, and he believes the award went to this relatively small-budget organization "because of its double advantage to the area, and because it is an example of cities and counties working together for their common good."
The award also went to Louisiana and Clarksville, and Ralls and Pike counties.
Explaining the provenance means "the origin of art" Ayers emphasized that the award recognizes the efforts of several individuals and groups, including Patrick French, who formerly led the Northeast Missouri Development Authority, and George Walley, the current director.
Also playing an important role was Faye Bleigh, executive director of the Hannibal Convention & Visitors Bureau, who wrote a grant application for funding the printing of the new map and brochure, which featured 27 artisans; Michael Gains, HAC executive director; and the Raintree Arts Council in Clarksville. "All these entities that already existed in the region all worked together on this central theme," Ayers said.
Hannibal is in the unique position of being the hub of highways going in all directions, Ayers said, but the residents of this area must work together if people on the highways ore to be persuaded to stay in the area and not just travel through it.
He called the highways "an avenue for sales tax dollars to leave," adding they could also be used to bring people to Hannibal, "if we build on our strengths" and fill the need for small "bed and breakfast getaway communities." He said, Hannibal, Clarksville and Louisiana "are perfectly situated, geographically, to fill that void, but we have to build a better product."
