A Lack of Culture

A Boston Globe Editorial February 5, 2003

This fiscal year the Massachusetts Cultural Council got kicked in its shins, taking a 62 percent budget cut. How bad are things? The council asked the organizations it funds to detail the effects in a survey. The results: Cuts have eliminated programs, outreach, and jobs. One of the greatest blows is less access for students.

One example is "Go Building Go!" a program for 4- and 5-year-olds in Worcester Head Start classrooms. The program trains Head Start teachers to introduce students to architecture and creative movement. This seemingly unlikely mix lets children interact with architectural spaces and express their own thoughts about space through movement -- a key tool in classes where students can't yet write and may speak different languages. It's also a great way for children to learn about their city, according to Elizabeth Bacon of Preservation Worcester, the nonprofit organization that was competing for a $150,000 Cultural Council grant to put the program in seven schools. But the money was eliminated, leaving only private funds to run the program in only two schools. The New England Aquarium lost $27,000 from a $43,000 program that brought aquarium resources to Boston after-school programs with topics such as "All about mollusks." Ferrying children to the aquarium after school is unwieldy. Bringing the aquarium to communities was a way to educate children, reach out to parents, and train after-school staff to teach science. Cultural Council funding could have brought another aquarium program to life: a partnership with elementary and middle schools in East Boston and Chelsea. But cuts eliminated the money that could have funded this project.

Last year Somerville had a $10,000 Cultural Council grant to explore different ways to incorporate arts across the curriculum in the city's high school. Staffers looked at models in different schools, trained teachers, and came up with new ideas, including teaching the history of the Depression through music. This year there is no grant money, so Somerville can't build on this effort.

"We still have to explain to some people that this isn't a frill," said Elaine McMichael, the district supervisor of art and music. McMichael says different teaching methods are needed to match students' different learning styles.

Somerville also lost funds to send students to museums and performances, things some families can't afford. What burns McMichael is the inequity -- class war, she calls it -- since other communities will find ways to provide cultural options for their students.

The arts can survive without public money. But by restoring funding as soon as possible, the governor and Legislature can rebuild the roads that link people to culture.

This story ran on page A16 of the Boston Globe on 2/5/2003.