Having just written a Master's thesis about local economic development on Northwestern Massachusetts I feel like this is one topic I am qualified to comment on.

The area in question is (finally) doing a good job adjusting to economic change. There has been a lot of pain in North Adams in particular, but it is finally starting to turn around. MassMoCA is one part of that story, but there are other things going on in the area as well that are helping in the economic change.

I think the key to successful change is the ability to form connections to other areas. In the past (Fordist if you would like) economic regime a large corporation could be relied upon to support a local area. That regime broke down for a variety of reasons, and in its place we have an economy where outsourcing is more common, work is more flexible, and connections are more important to the success of a local area.

MassMoCA is one example of the new connections that are being created in the area. The existence of Williams College in the area is another incredibly rich source of connections to the broader economy. Through its active and successful alumni base Williams is able to bring both people and money into the area to be spent on building projects and other cultural events (including the construction of a new performance art centre that will be utilized by the Williamstown Theater Festival). Williams also brings with it a well-educated faculty, many with well-educated spouses who need jobs.

Connections are also being formed by the presence of a Venture Capital business in the area and the start-up of several successful Internet related businesses. While not the major engine for jobs in the area it is still a growing part of the local economy.

All of these elements work together to create an environment that is more competitive with other local economies. The presence of MassMoCA and contemporary artists, Williams College and its faculty, Venture Capitalists and entrepreneurs form an environment that is appealing to a growing segment of knowledge workers.

As best I can tell from my reading of the Creative Class argument there is no causality determined in the link between cultural industries (and the bohemian index) and economic productivity. I would speculate though that the link is that more creative, bohemian locations attract intelligent labor which is also more productive.

The Northwest corner of Massachusetts is becoming a differentiated competitor in the quest to attract highly skilled workers. It is not an environment which is going to appeal to everyone, but it is starting to appeal to some people, and enough people to get something started in that otherwise sleepy, isolated corner of the world.

But I would definitely caution that the approach that works in one location is not a turnkey solution for all areas. Each local economy has to determine their own advantages and the best way of creating new or deepening existing connections to the global or national economy. This often depends on the hard work and initiative of local people, and a government program cannot make it happen.

Your point about aesthetics overlooks one of the most important aesthetics for people looking to move into an area -- the environment.

Look at places like Bend, Oregon, or any number of communities in Idaho, Montana or Wyoming. As they move away from extractive, environmentally descructive industries like mining and logging, they are able to attract people who want to live in a beautiful area, but can work through a computer and phones and don't have to be located near a big city. This brings money into the area, which supports a service economony infrastructure (not just store clerks, but lawyers, doctors, nurses, etc). Efforts to preserve natural beauty are not job killers -- as most republicans seem to think -- but will be keys to successful job creation for a lot of rural areas over the next 50 years. You don't need to be in NY to work on Wall Street anymore, and that trend will continue. Rural areas have a chance to lure the best and the brightest as never before, if they don't blow it.