BOSTON, October 24, 2014— Statement by Matt Wilson, MASSCreative Executive Director, on Candidate for Governor Martha Coakley’s Campaign Arts Platform:
“Martha Coakley’s arts platform is a clear outline of how she would champion the arts, cultural, and creative sector as governor. Her promise to explore the creation of a new cabinet position to integrate the arts across all domains including education, economic development, transportation, housing, and environmental affairs, shows an understanding of the role that the arts already play in these areas. Past approaches to planning, which have taken the arts for granted, have resulted in multiple lost opportunities to leverage arts and culture to their fullest extent.
“We also applaud her plan to work with the state legislature to double the funding for the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and to build on Governor Patrick’s strong support for the Cultural Facilities Fund. These investments in the arts are critical to leveraging additional private investment in state cultural and creative endeavors.
“The governor’s race has focused on the myriad ways in which our next governor can strengthen our economy, improve our schools, and make our communities healthier and safer. Arts matter in Massachusetts and they should be part of this discussion. Our state is home to large-scale museums, theaters, and orchestras, and thousands of working artists, as well as numerous community-based playhouses and art centers that drive our economy, enhance the academic performance of our students, and build vibrant, connected communities. Core to the success of these cultural institutions is public support of the arts.
“The arts community looks forward to partnering with our next governor to champion these efforts, and we encourage voters to consider where the candidates stand on the arts when they make their decision about who to support on November 4.”
Note to editors: Today, October 24, 2014 is Arts Matter Day. Thousands of artists, cultural leaders, and supporters of the arts will be emailing candidates, sharing videos, and posting to Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags #ArtsMatter, #MaGov14, and #mapoli to share stories of the impact art has in Massachusetts.
More than 30 leaders have recorded Arts Matter videos including Museum of Fine Arts Ann and Graham Gund Director Malcolm Rogers; Massachusetts Cultural Council Executive Director Anita Walker; University of Massachusetts Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Adrian Tió; New Bedford Symphony Orchestra Education Director Terry Wolkowicz; Celebrity Series of Boston Executive Director Gary Dunning; StageSource Executive Director Julie Hennrikus; Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone; and Pittsfield Mayor Dan Bianchi.
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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.
