Governor Charlie Baker has proposed to cut a significant amount of state funding going towards art and culture in Massachusetts. Though the narrative of struggling arts organizations is not new, the proposed cuts would roll back funding to levels not seen since 1994.
Though large cultural institutions in the City and elsewhere may be able to acquire other sources of funding, smaller institutions as well as public schools rely on state grants. In the absence of these grants, grassroots organizations may lack the resources necessary to provide valuable community services. Ultimately, these cuts will not hurt large, venerated cultural institutions as much as lesser-known artists and organizations that are recipients of small-scale grants.
At the same time, plans are being made for the state to work with Futurecity, a London based placemaking consultancy to develop a cultural district in the Fenway area. Details are still in the works, but such top-down cultural planning initiatives typically emphasize economic viability, i.e., the enhancement of property values. The project is being lauded as a means to demonstrate the value of putting money back into arts and culture.
However, it is not enough to “support the arts” as a homogenous, monolithic construct. Culture is not ornamental, and is not a consumable that exists in a vacuum of generalist language. Beyond the perspective of economic development, culture enables us to think dynamically, necessitating diverse and authentic perspectives. It is therefore unproductive to embrace large-scale, arts-related real estate projects, while simultaneously cutting funding for emerging artists and small organizations. Policymakers cannot expect that the same type of value added comes from developer-sponsored cultural districts, as the value that is provided by small nonprofits and schools curating community events, developing youth programs, and supporting independent work. Such an expectation would be an exercise in false equivalencies, at the very best. Fortunately, advocacy organizations such as MASSCreative are organizing grassroots efforts to speak up against the cuts and demand alternatives. Find out more at mass-creative.org and get involved.
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