Coalition of arts groups looks forward to working with new mayor, who will be a champion of the arts
BOSTON, November 6, 2013—The Create the Vote Coalition congratulates Mayor-Elect Marty Walsh, and looks forward to partnering with him to bolster the city’s arts and cultural sector. It also offers thanks to John Connolly for engaging in a thoughtful, issues-based campaign that drew attention to the role that arts and cultural organizations play in the city of Boston, and the need for political leadership and support for the sector.
“We look forward to working with Mayor-Elect Marty Walsh to build a more vibrant and connected city. He has promised to hire a cabinet-level arts commissioner who will advocate for arts and cultural organizations, and work on a strategic cultural plan for the city that can be integrated with other priorities such as education, economic development, public safety, housing, and transportation,” said Matt Wilson, executive director of MASSCreative, the convening member of the Create the Vote Coalition. “Mayor-Elect Walsh has also committed to invest in arts and cultural initiatives, reform the permitting process, bolster arts education, and employ arts as a tool to spur neighborhood development.”
“Creativity is powerful. It increases economic activity, boosts educational opportunities for young people, and helps build strong communities,” said David Howse, executive director of the Boston Children’s Chorus. “We look forward to collaborating with Mayor-Elect Walsh on his first order of business, which is selecting his cabinet, which will include the city of Boston’s first cabinet-level commissioner of the arts.”
“We have seen unprecedented involvement and collaboration among Boston’s arts and cultural organizations on the Create the Vote coalition,” said Gary Dunning, executive director of The Celebrity Series. “Nearly 100 of Boston’s arts organizations ranging from large institutions to neighborhood-based groups joined the coalition to press all of the candidates for their views on arts and culture—and the candidates responded.”
In an unprecedented campaign for arts advocacy, the Create the Vote coalition sent out questionnaires to all of the preliminary mayoral candidates and sat down with nine of the candidates to question them about how they would promote the arts, cultural, and creative communities if they were elected. Representatives from 20 of Boston’s arts organizations attended the meetings. Create the Vote also hosted the largest forum of the campaign at the Paramount Theatre Sept. 9 before 600 audience members. Create the Vote held two more public meetings after the preliminary that each drew approximately 100 attendees, and nearly 2,000 people signed up as arts voters who pledged to make arts and culture one of their priorities at the ballot box.
“We are excited to partner with Mayor-Elect Walsh on a strategic vision for arts and culture in Boston,” said Jill Medvedow, Ellen Matilda Poss Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. “Boston is home to some of the finest cultural institutions in the world and together we play an important role in a creative economy that generates jobs, tourism, art education and a quality of life that strengthens the fabric of this city. We are excited to embark on a new era with our new Mayor.”
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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.
