MassCreative launches in The Berkshires

PITTSFIELD – More than 100 local supporters of the arts recently gathered at the Berkshire Museum to celebrate the launch of MassCreative in The Berkshires.

MassCreative was started earlier this year to advocate arts issues on Beacon Hill and throughout the commonwealth, and as part of the local launch, attendees were asked to fill out postcards to Governor Deval L. Patrick asking him to increase the money allocated to the Massachusetts Cultural Council from $3 million to $12.5 million.

“It warmed my heart to hear what MassCreative is doing,” said Berkshire Creative Director Jodi Joseph.

Other MassCreative initiatives include requiring state universities to only admit students who have had at least one year of arts education in high school and making health benefits for creative individuals more readily available, according to Matthew “Matt” Wilson, the organization’s executive director.

He said the main goal of MassCreative was to “make more ‘Pittsfields’ all across Massachusetts,” referring to the arts revitalization the city has gone through over the last few years.

“He talks about Pittsfield and The Berkshires wherever he goes in the commonwealth,” Ms. Joseph said.

In addition to Mr. Wilson and Ms. Joseph, several local arts figures spoke at the launch, including MCLA Director of Special Programs Jonathan D. Secor, Pittsfield Director of Cultural Development Megan Whilden, Berkshire Money Management President Allen Harris and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) Managing Director Katherine Myers.

“We [the art community] are now part of the conversation when people talk about economics,” Mr. Secor said, adding it was “vitally important” for MassCreative to be in The Berkshires.

“Everything you see in Pittsfield…is because of advocacy,” Ms. Whilden added.

More information about MassCreative can be found online at mass-creative.org.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on October 18, 2012. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Community News,News,State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry