Becker, Hartington Creative District honored at state event

BEATRICE — Hartington’s Creative District and its director just got a boost from the Nebraska Arts Council.

The Council announced last week Miranda Becker is one of four state recipients of the inaugural CreDis Awards. The announcement came during this year’s Creative District Assembly here.

The CreDis Awards are presented to individuals and Creative Districts that exhibit leadership, innovation, or support for the Creative District Program.

Becker worked to get the community involved in the state Creative District program and to help strengthen and beautify Hartington’s downtown district with the program.

The award title combines the two words of the program, Creative District. Serendipitously, in Latin, CreDis can also mean “to believe in, rely on, entrust,” said Nebraska Arts Council Communications Manager Sam Hennigh.

Becker is the Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Hartington.

She has led the Hartington Creative District initiative and has been instrumental in demonstrating how the arts make a community more livable. She has been involved in many innovative projects in her community, including custom-made public benches that highlight artwork by local artists.

“Miranda understands that communities must continually look for every way possible to attract visitors and businesses to their town,” Nenigh said.

The Nebraska Creative District Program is run under the aegis of the Nebraska Arts Council. In 2020, the Nebraska State legislature passed a bill to create the Creative Districts program to promote and support economic development and placemaking opportunities in communities dedicated to growing their arts-related economic sectors.