Bainbridge Island’s Creative District launched with a ribbon-tying ceremony July 3.

The ribbon was decided to be tied instead of cut to symbolize bringing arts and business together in the community.

City manager Blair King said: “This is a great kickoff moment. I love the ribbon-tying concept because it brings us together.”

Arts & Humanities Bainbridge began pushing the campaign in 2017 and involved collaborative participation across multiple organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Association, the Japanese American Community and more.

The participation allows Bainbridge to expand its horizon and look to make the world better.

Max Weber, a deputy campaign manager from BI, said, “Creativity is looking at the world around you and imagining a way to make it better, whether that’s using art to express yourself through different mediums, film to express ideas and cultures or looking at the world and trying to transform through advocacy.”

The state Arts Commission said Bainbridge is the 11th official creative district statewide.

In addition, BCD spans nearly two square miles around the ferry terminal to the east, Madison Avenue to the west, Wyatt to the north, and the Waterfront to the south.

The creative district allows Winslow to receive financial support and assistance from the state. Plus, King believes it can help make the island a destination spot.

“One of my favorite sociologists is named Richard Florida,” King said. “He talks about the importance of the creative district and maps out across the country that people migrate to communities that have a creative class. I am looking forward to what this can do as we support the structure of the arts.”

On Sept. 10, Bainbridge Creative District officials will host the hard launch for the district. They will invite the community and visitors to take part in guided tours with ambassadors to explore the new area.