Gloucester is indeed well-positioned to take advantage of the "creative economy" - a term on the lips of many of those who attended last week's annual meeting of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. The city, indeed all of Cape Ann, is already considered a destination arts colony.

But that should prompt those seeking to raise the region's arts profile even further to be realistic about the possibilities.

The enthusiasm of seARTS is welcome and compelling, and supported by a $35,000 grant just received from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Their vision is compelling as well - to "transform" Cape Ann into a world-class center for the arts, which they then believe will boost the local economy.

North Adams Mayor John Barrett III, the keynote speaker at the event, spoke about living that vision. From a depressed "company town" after Sprague Electric shut down in 1984, North Adams has rebounded thanks to the establishment of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in 1999. That, Barrett said, made North Adams a cultural destination, and the spinoff economic activity has included six restaurants, several inns, professional space and new housing.

But that kind of transformation also took more than $30 million in state money over a number of years. That kind of money is not available from the state any more. And it is not necessary on Cape Ann because when it comes to arts and culture, things are not nearly as bad as they were in North Adams. In fact, they are already very good. Gloucester has a reported 2,000 artists in residence. The region draws thousands of visitors every year who flock to its dozens of art galleries and museums that include the Cape Ann Historical Association, the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, Hammond Castle and the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.

The Gloucester Stage Company presents some of the best theater in New England. And the Rockport Chamber Music Festival is moving toward the construction of the $17.5 million Shalin Liu Performance Center - a facility that its backers hope will serve not only as a chamber music hall but as a year-round cultural and civic center for Rockport, Cape Ann and beyond.

In short, the Cape Ann arts scene is not moribund. Compared to most other areas outside of metropolitan Boston, it is thriving.

That, of course, doesn't mean that things can't, or shouldn't, get better. The hopes of seARTS to increase the number of performance and display spaces in the city, to get involved in the redevelopment of the harbor and to give the region a better, more interactive presence on the Web are all excellent goals.

There is clearly a well-established creative economy in Gloucester. And seARTS deserves support at all levels to make it even more successful.