On Wednesday July 15, State Senators Hinds, Kennedy and DiZoglio held a listening session on the Commonwealth's reopening for Arts, Culture and Small Businesses. MASSCreative joined the Hanover Theater, the Mass Cultural Council, MASS MoCA and the New England Aquarium to share the impact that COVID-19 and the subsequent economic crisis has had on the creative community.
As the Governor, House and Senate work to develop relief funds and economic stimulus packages, we need our state leaders to know that art and culture are vital to the economic and communal recovery of the Commonwealth.
We have temporarily paused this action alert.
We encourage advocates to email State Reps in support of amendments to H.4879 that would protect the arts and cultural sector.
In every downtown and main street, the arts and culture are an economic anchor, job provider, and hub for community connectivity. If we wish for the Commonwealth to continue being the vibrant creative state we love, our state government needs to act now.
We recommend the following policies to ensure that arts and cultural organizations remain a priority when relief efforts are developed:
- Ensure the creative sector receives a portion of the federal aid delivered to the Commonwealth by creating an arts and cultural nonprofit relief fund.
- Protect nonprofits from closing due to unemployment costs.
- Support artists, cultural workers, arts administrators and creative professionals by providing workforce development and support programs.
- Get artists back to work by creating the Massachusetts Public Art Program, which would fund new public art in all new state building projects.
Read testimony from MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock to the Senate Listening Session.
