Art attack

Boston mayor Tom Menino must show a stronger commitment to the city's cultural community

When Boston mayor Tom Menino ran for election in 1993, he promised to support passage of a hotel tax to raise money for the arts. After the artistic wasteland of the Flynn administration -- during which hoisting a brew passed for a cultural activity -- Menino's promises were heralded as the dawn of a new day for Boston's arts community. It's hard to believe now, but days before the hard-fought 1993 primary, 19 of the city's cultural leaders signed a fundraising letter for Menino that said: "With Tom Menino's leadership, we have the opportunity to make Boston the leading arts city in America."

A report issued last April by Esther Kaplan, Menino's special assistant on cultural affairs, notes that Boston ranks 10th, behind New York, Dallas, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, in annual per capita spending on the arts. New York is at the top, spending $13.67 per person on the arts. San Francisco spends $9.42 per person. Boston, by contrast, spends just 92 cents per person.

So what happened to Menino's much-vaunted arts agenda? Who knows. Perhaps it's buried under a pile of blueprints for one of the many development projects under way in the city. Menino would be wise to find it, however. The notion that a vibrant, healthy, and diverse arts community enhances a city's quality of life isn't just fanciful rhetoric from arts advocates. The business-oriented New England Council, headed by former state representative Jim Brett, released a groundbreaking report in May that quantified the impact the arts community has on the region's economy.

Cultural activities have created 247,387 jobs in New England. The health-care and technology and software industries combined have created just 245,808. Cultural tourism brings in about $6.6 billion annually. All this despite what the report describes as "limited coordination" between business and political leaders. Imagine what could be accomplished with a little direction. Here are five steps Menino can take to provide some.

* Maximize private investments. Boston's corporate community is not known for its generosity when it comes to donating funds to the arts. The mayor's administration should take the lead in coordinating private investment in the arts by hiring a deputy of public and private partnerships, as suggested in the Kaplan report. The report also recommends activities as simple as encouraging "corporate purchase of work by local artists."

* Dedicate a revenue stream to the arts. Of course, perhaps the private sector is so stingy because it's taking its lead from the city, which allocated just $750,196 to the Office of Cultural Affairs in fiscal year 2000. Compare that with the $103 million that New York City will spend on the arts this year, the $7.8 million San Francisco will spend, and the $3.7 million Baltimore will spend. Although Menino has backed away from his early pledge to levy a hotel tax to fund the arts, saying it's not politically feasible, he could earmark for the arts a percentage of the money that comes in from development. The Kaplan report further suggests creation of a "state of the arts" license plate.

* Support the artists who live and work in Boston. Fort Point Channel is home to New England's largest arts community. Development of the waterfront is jeopardizing the workspaces and homes of these artists. The city must offer incentives to developers who create living/working space for artists; property owners who stabilize rents for artists must be rewarded; and the city must negotiate on behalf of its Fort Point artists' community for affordable space. Other cities recognize the benefits a community of artists can bring. Both Providence and Lowell are actively courting the Fort Point community to come live in their downtowns.

* Improve arts education in the schools. Results from recent MCAS tests show that "the schools scoring the best are the ones that have strong arts programs," according to the Kaplan report. Nevertheless, about 25 of Boston's public schools still don't meet the minimum standards of the city's arts curriculum. If these schools aren't brought up to speed, students' performance will continue to suffer -- as will the future of the arts. As one participant in a community forum held to gather research for the Kaplan report noted: "Arts education in schools is critically important. If we are not educating young people in the arts now, 20 years down the road we will have an artless generation."

* Hire people to get the job done. None of the above can occur without a strong advocate for the cultural community. Menino must find a permanent replacement for Bruce Rossley, the city's former arts commissioner. Although Menino has offered the job to Kaplan, she has declined -- perhaps because she wants to see a stronger commitment on the arts from the mayor. This lack of a full-time leader at the Office of Cultural Affairs means there is no one in place to lobby the mayor on these crucial issues. The Office of Cultural Affairs needs a leader to make the arts a priority in Boston.

If you'd like to see these changes made, let the mayor and the Boston City Council know. Menino can be reached at (617) 635-4500; the general number for the council is (617) 635-3040. You can also link to the e-mail address of each city councilor and the mayor through the city's Web site, www.ci.boston.ma.us.

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