Arts + Policy

Arts agency gets reined in by lawmakers – and a raise

Cultural Council sees funding boost, but new restrictions too

By Andy Metzger Anita Walker, Brad Hill, Donald Humason, Massachusetts Cultural Council 0 Comments Jun 30, 2019

NO STATE AGENCY has taken more of a pounding from the press this year over its spending practices than the Massachusetts Cultural Council, but the agency is poised to emerge from the Beacon Hill budget-writing process with its highest appropriation in years, even if that comes with some new restrictions on its spending. How that(...)

Western Mass. ‘Hilltowns’ look for a foothold

Often overlooked region banks on tourism, arts, and history for revitalization

By Catherine Tumber Berkshires, CW in Depth, Hilltowns, Western Massachusetts 0 Comments Jun 20, 2019

THE ARRIVAL OF warmer weather means visitors will be flocking to the Berkshires, where a set of towns come to life as summer homes to renowned music and dance enterprises at Tanglewood and Jacob’s Pillow. They add to a year-round arts economy in the region anchored by the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North(...)

Students need new skillset – creativity

Needed to prepare students for an unknowable future

By Stanley Rosenberg and Dan Hunter Elementary and Secondary Education 0 Comments Jun 1, 2019

TODAY WE MUST educate children for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented. The tumultuous change on our planet, in our societies, and in our schools, presents a steep challenge to educators and legislators. How do we prepare our children for a world not yet imagined? What skills should schools teach(...)

Boston students get unfortunate education in racism

By CommonWealth Staff Boston, MFA, Racism, students, The Download 0 Comments May 23, 2019

Along with all the art on the walls, Boston seventh graders on a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts last week saw some upsetting displays of modern-day racism. It was another shameful chapter in Boston’s long-running history of making black people feel unwelcome. The incident received a lot of press coverage, probably because(...)

Veep’s Massachusetts connection

Lesser tries to keep the HBO scripts real

By Sarah Betancourt Massachusetts politics, National Politics 0 Comments Apr 5, 2019

SEN. ERIC LESSER of Longmeadow knows what’s going to happen this season on Veep, but he’s keeping it to himself. Lesser has been working since 2011 as a consultant for the HBO political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as vice president turned train-wreck-in-chief. Even with a comedy, HBO wants to keep it real, and Lesser was(...)

Can private sector save the Mohawk?

North Adams mayor seeks ideas for reviving theater

By Bruce Mohl Growth and Development 0 Comments Apr 4, 2019

LIKE NORTH ADAMS, the community in which it is located, the Mohawk Theater has long been regarded as down and out. But as the town tries to reinvent itself as an arts and tourism destination, the marquee of the shuttered Mohawk, one of the last art-deco style movie houses in the nation, continuously beckons. The(...)

Creative economy losing some steam

Leadership, investment declining in Berkshire County, across state

By Julia Dixon Arts and creativity, Charlie Baker 0 Comments Mar 29, 2019

1BERKSHIRE, Berkshire County’s leading economic development organization, released a strategic report last month called The Berkshire Blueprint 2.0 that, on the surface, seems to provide helpful action steps for supporting the region’s vibrant creative economy. The report’s six “creative cluster” recommendations include collaborations, professional development, and communication tools that connect creative people to resources as(...)

Arts should be core to education, not an optional add-on

Boston budget threatens vital programming

By Liz Byron arts curriculum, Boston public schools 0 Comments Mar 15, 2019

I’M EXCITED TO welcome more than 5,000 fellow arts educators from the National Art Education Association to Boston this weekend. At the same time, I’m worried about the state of the arts in our city. While Boston Public School officials tout the district’s “largest ever” budget, cuts to a number of city schools are in(...)

Arts internships coming for Boston students

Bloomberg grant brings initiative for summer positions for high school seniors

By Michael Jonas 0 Comments Mar 13, 2019

WHILE BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL students hear plenty of talk about opportunities in STEM fields, with good internships available that match them with employers in the region’s booming biomedical and tech industries, one important local sector – the arts — has long struggled to keep up when it comes to showcasing career pathways for young people.(...)

Mass. needs to step up for tourism and the arts

Investment is no-brainer; lack of predictable state support deplorable

By Martha J. Sheridan and Lee Pelton Arts and creativity, State Government 0 Comments Mar 10, 2019

MASSACHUSETTS’ DYNAMIC tourism industry and its arts and cultural assets are inextricably linked, collectively delivering extraordinary dividends to the state’s economic vitality and quality of life. Residents and visitors alike reap the benefits created by these sectors, and yet there is no predictable or dedicated financial support on the state and local level to ensure(...)