“Historic preservation and the arts are both important drivers of community and economic development,” believes Gail Ginther. “They contribute to the sense and quality of place that defines our communities. Creative people are the backbone of entrepreneurial activity, and creative people need a rich environment to engage with.”

This artist, who paints landscapes and aging structures using acrylics, has been very involved in three organizations working to attract visitors to the area.

As Historic Metamora secretary and treasurer, the 15-year resident writes the application for an Indiana Arts Commission minigrant to bring guest artists to the Metamora Old-Time Music Festival each Labor Day weekend. “This year we’re going to have a kids’ music area with lots of hands-on experiences.” Thanks to the fest, “we have seen a significant increase in traffic, and the entire town has benefited. This is an example of how the investment of a few hundred dollars in state funding has reaped great returns in community and economic development.”

Ginther is starting her second two-year term representing Metamora on the county’s Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission. “We try to find those opportunities that will induce people to consider Franklin County as a worthwhile place to spend their time.”

Her volunteerism expanded when the 1972 Miami University fine arts graduate became part of a multicounty task force pushing for state designation of the Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway, which happened in 2008. “Of course, now the work really begins .... There is so much Indiana history along this corridor, from the Quaker communities and early jazz history in Wayne County, the automotive and railroad history embodied in Fayette County, to the scenic vistas and early pioneer history that fill Franklin and Dearborn counties. We have a huge opportunity to use this byway to support entrepreneurs and communities all along the route.”

In the past few months, Ginther, who grew up in Oxford, Ohio, had artworkåœs accepted at the Celebration of Nature show at Eagle Creek State Park in Indianapolis and the Whitewater Annual at Indiana University East in Richmond. One of two pieces that just finished touring with the Open Space show in central Indiana was chosen for a purchase award. “In 2007 I had the honor of having a painting accepted for the annual Hoosier Salon exhibition.”

She will enter three Hoosier shows this spring. Her work can be seen at The Gallery and The Hermitage, Brookville; Southeastern Indiana Art Guild, Aurora; Studio 4, Pendleton Art Center, Rising Sun; and The Gallery, Newport on the Levee, Kentucky.

Ginther and husband George, who works for McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital, Oxford, share shop duty at Words and Images/The Train Place, a Metamora antique business. They have one son, Geoff, 27, a Ball State University graduate living in Anderson.

My other job: Hubert Co. senior marketing information analyst.

My dream job: Retiring and having our Metamora shop open full time.

Memberships: Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana Eastern Region Advisory Council and Affiliate Organization Council, Region 9 Arts Advisory Council Franklin County representative, Southeastern Indiana Art Guild vice president, Franklin County Citizens for Historic Preservation, Franklin County Historical Society

Little-known fact: I have ancestors who lived in Franklin County before 1810. My great-great-grandfather is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Brookville and his parents’ graves are near South Gate.

What really annoys me: Noise.

Best pastime: Reading, I just finished Carolyn Alexander’s account of the mutiny on the Bounty and I’ve been working on the letters of T.E. Lawrence during down time at the shop.

My soapbox: Having a different opinion about something does not make someone a monster. It often seems that there is an assumption that differences equal enmity. It’s important to remember as well that no one can have things exactly their way. Far too many people want to placate the loudest voices most recently heard, rather than find the best solution among the various viewpoints.