March 18, 2015―MASSCreative announces that it will hold Arts Matter Advocacy Day on Wednesday, March 25. Artists, cultural leaders, and advocates will gather at Citi Wang Theatre in downtown Boston from 10-11:30am and hear from speakers including Julie Burros, the Chief of Arts and Culture for the city of Boston, and State Rep. Cory Atkins and State Sen. Eric Lesser, co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development. Joyce Kulhawik, President of the Boston Theater Critics Association and JoycesChoices.com, will emcee the event. Other participants include Sara Stackhouse, Executive Director of Actor’s Shakespeare Project.
At 11:30am, the group will hold an “Arts Matter March” to the State House. Arts advocates will meet with lawmakers at the State House to talk about the importance of arts and culture to local communities. More than 130 organizations and artists have signed up to participate in Arts Matter Day.
“Across the state, from Williamstown to Provincetown, community-based arts organizations are improving the quality of life in all 351 of our cities and towns by creating events and places where people want to gather and connect. They are also driving local economies, and creating educational opportunities, particularly in under-resourced communities,” said MASSCreative Executive Director Matt Wilson. “It’s important that policymakers and legislators understand the value of investing in the arts and cultural sector, and our creative communities.”
Arts Matter Advocacy Day is part of MASSCreative’s Arts in Action campaign which is working to ensure that Gov. Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts Legislature provide the arts and cultural community with the support it needs to continue building vibrant and connected communities across the Commonwealth. On Feb. 17, MASSCreative and youth from Hyde Square Task Force and Walnut Hill School for the Arts delivered 3,000 signatures to Gov. Baker requesting increased state investment in the arts.
On March 4, Gov. Baker released his FY2016 budget with a recommendation to fund the state’s investment in arts and culture at $11.8 million. In the coming weeks, the House and Senate will release their respective budgets.
“It’s important for the arts community to make its voice heard during this public process,” Wilson added. “Gov. Baker’s budget recommendation provides us with a good starting point. Still, over the past 25 years, the Commonwealth’s investment in the creative community has declined nearly 60 percent. We are urging lawmakers to support a $15 million investment in the arts so that local cultural councils and arts organizations have the resources they need to build vibrant and connected communities.”
Follow #ArtsMatter on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to join the conversation.
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Founded in 2012, MASSCreative works with creative leaders and entrepreneurs, working artists, arts educators, and arts and cultural supporters to empower creative organizations and the public with a powerful voice to advocate for the resources and support necessary to build vibrant and connected communities.
