In the News

A Case for Culture

A Boston Globe Op-Ed February 26, 2005

Should the state of Massachusetts invest in an industry that already has a statewide payroll of $248 million with excellent growth potential?

During the 2002 gubernatorial campaign, all nine candidates answered no. Yet, this industry not only creates jobs in nearly all 351 cities and towns, it is an anchor for tourism drawing millions of visitors to the state each year. It is an industry that provides educational services both in-school and after school and it enhances the quality of life for both residents and visitors.

The industry is the arts, sciences, and humanities -- the over 1,000 nonprofit cultural organizations that have direct spending of $1.1 billion annually.

Recently, House Speaker Sal DiMasi and Senate President Robert Travaglini announced the formation of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, to be chaired by Senator Jack Hart of Boston and Representative Eric Turkington of Falmouth. The committee represents a significant recognition of how our state's economy has changed:

Tourism is now the second largest industry, and it could become the largest in a few years. We are increasingly dependent on tourism to support jobs and communities.

The new committee links arts and culture with tourism because arts, heritage, and culture fuel tourism. People come from all over the world to see our cultural and heritage resources. The New England Council's Creative Economy Initiative estimated that cultural tourists spend an average of $6.6 billion per year in the region.

The creation of the committee marks a recognition that the cultural resources of the Commonwealth are part of our competitive advantage. But critical funding is missing. On July 31, 2002, cultural funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council was slashed by 62 percent, one of the most drastic cuts in the nation. Under the leadership of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, cultural advocates turned to the gubernatorial candidates for answers. Each of the nine gave variations of the same answer: "I love the arts, sciences, and humanities; but we can't restore funding until the economy recovers."

These candidates echoed a common view: that arts and culture are a luxury, frills that are among the first to go when government tightens its belt. The conventional wisdom on Beacon Hill was to invest state dollars only in programs that generate revenue: traditional economic development to stimulate the economy and create jobs. The Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities and its cultural advocates have argued that arts and culture are a key part of our economy and should be part of our economic development strategy.

Since the election of 2002, arts and culture has moved from the dessert tray to the main plate of economic development. Last year the Legislature took a major step in recognizing the role of arts and culture in economic development by establishing the John and Abigail Adams Arts Fund. This fund, administered by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, provides economic development grants that challenge communities to create jobs and enhance cultural tourism. The council recently awarded these grants to 22 communities.

Cultural economic development works. MassMoCa, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, led the revitalization of North Adams. Abandoned mills converted into galleries and museums became the center of downtown redevelopment in Lowell.

According to the Center for Policy Analysis at University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, the Boston Cyberarts Festival, started with a $30,000 cultural economic development grant from the MCC, in 2002 alone generated $2.6 million in economic impact and created 32 full-time equivalent jobs. That is a return on investment that any industry would be proud to have. The Boston Cyberarts Festival has also created national awareness of Boston as a center of art, creativity, and innovative technology.

There is a new awareness about the value of the arts, sciences, and humanities. In challenging economic times, we must invest public dollars that return clear public benefit.

Under the new committee, we look forward to new strategies to capitalize on our cultural resources. The formation of the committee demonstrates that politicians now see arts and culture as an economic opportunity as well as a benefit. It is a recognition that the state must invest in tourism -- marketing all our state has to offer -- and we must invest in our cultural resources.

Dan Hunter is executive director of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences & Humanities.

This story ran on page A11 of the Boston Globe on 2/26/2005. (Click here for a PDF)

<<back to News Archive