Laura Mitchell, a Big Red & Shiny contributor, wrote the first post in her blog series exploring the role of art in Boston's strive for innovation. A city like Boston, with its impressive collection of universities and start-ups, has the potential to live up to its promise of being an "innovation hub," and yet, there is still room for growth. The arts and cultural community is an inherent source of creativity, and if treated as a partner, can only strengthen citywide progress. Mitchell quoted Richard Maloney, Assistant Director of BU's Arts Administration program and member of Create the Vote coalition, in his Herald editorial about art and innovation:

"[Richard] pointed out artists’ abilities as 'communicators who know how to connect with a wide variety of people through words, images, sounds, and symbols.' Given Boston’s unparalleled educational resources, universities may be one catalyst for an increased focus on art’s role in fostering new knowledge and understandings."

Read more from this blog, and stay tuned for the next installment in this thoughtful series.