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Create the Vote 2014: Electing a Governor Who is a Champion of the Arts
The race to elect the next governor of Massachusetts is picking up steam, and so is the Create the Vote campaign. The MASSCreative-led Create the Vote coalition, a growing coalition of more than 200 arts, cultural, and creative institutions, has kicked off its work with a series of regional meetings across the Commonwealth. It has brought local leaders from creative communities in Boston, Cape Cod, the Berkshires, Metro West, North Shore, Pioneer Valley, South Shore, Worcester, and the South Coast together to discuss elevating arts and culture in the gubernatorial election.
The Berkshire Eagle attended the Create the Vote meeting at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield and reported on the community’s commitment to elevating the arts in the governor’s race:
If it’s made apparent that many voters care about arts, culture and creativity, politicians will make it a priority in order to get elected, [MASSCreative Executive Director Matt] Wilson said, which has obvious implications for the Nov. 4 gubernatorial election.
This past month, we sent out Create the Vote questionnaires to the gubernatorial candidates. So far, five candidates have gotten back to us: Don Berwick, Martha Coakley, Evan Falchuk, Steve Grossman, and Juliette Kayyem. The questionnaire consists of seven core questions developed by leaders of the arts and cultural community here in the Commonwealth.
All of the candidates stressed the importance of transforming STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educational initiatives into STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics). Each of the candidates also stressed the need for the next governor’s administration to promote public-private partnerships to spur investment in arts and culture. You can read more on the Create the Vote blog.
2014 Create the Vote Candidates Forum on Arts, Culture, and Creativity
Our forum with the candidates will be held July 15 at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester. You can see the Create the Vote Coalition’s invitation to the candidates, and the lengthy list of artists and cultural leaders who signed it here.
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