Governor Patrick’s executive order last week to create a state Public Art Commission and a percent-for-art program is a step in the right direction, not just for the Commonwealth’s arts community, but for the creative economy as a whole. The order addresses a factor often overlooked when politicians pay lip-service to the importance of the arts to our civic life: money.
At this point, the across-the-board benefits of the arts in general should be self-evident. A report last summer by ArtsBoston showed that nonprofit arts and cultural organizations boosted the economy of Boston alone by $1 billion. The Massachusetts arts community encompasses roughly 6,000 arts and cultural organizations that support more than 45,000 jobs. Public art goes a long way not only toward invigorating the economy, but also toward demonstrating that art is valued as part of a public dialogue. It’s that mix of tangibles and intangibles — the bottom line on dollars spent and jobs created, and also the general quality of life — that makes artists and non-artists alike want to live here, and businesses want to set up shop.
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The 11-member Public Art Commission described in the governor’s order would include cabinet members as well as representatives from Boston and other cities, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, project designers, and artists drawn from community organizations. But the key is the percent for art, which requires that 0.5 percent of the cost of construction or renovation of state-owned buildings and properties “be dedicated to the preservation of existing and the creation of new public art” in Boston and the gateway cities. Similar programs are standard in cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, and in states like Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Oregon.
It’s one thing to appoint an advisory committee or commission a study. But no agency can create a meaningful plan or initiate serious programs without a dedicated funding stream to sustain them. The governor in this case is showing that he means business. Let’s hope that the incoming governor gets the message and supports this important order.