Artists Under The Dome 2014 Wrap Up

Thank you to all who came, helped to get the word out and also helped make the 8th Annual Artists Under the Dome Event a smashing success! 

Artists Under The Dome Wrap Up

Last week artists of all disciplines (visual arts, literary, performing, crafts, new media, etc.) packed the Great Hall of the Massachusetts State House for the Eighth Annual Artists Under the Dome Event. The event, held on Nov. 12, is the only one of its kind in the country. This year, special thanks and tribute was given to State Treasurer Steve Grossman and his wife, Massachusetts Cultural Commission (MCC) Vice Chairwoman Barbara Grossman.

Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition (MALC) co-founders Kathleen Bitetti and Ja-Nae Duane welcomed the audience, highlighted MALC’s work, and invited live tweeting of the event. Audience members were lucky to hear in-depth thoughts about the creative sector from the Grossmans, along with several elected officials:

State Representative Cory Atkins (House Chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts & Cultural Development)
Chairwoman State Representative Sarah Peake (House Chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government)
Chairwoman State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry (Senate Chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government)
Representative State Representative Chris Walsh (Member of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts & Cultural Development)

Representative Atkins co-hosted that section of the event, with all of her passion and enthusiasm for our sector. Also in attendance were the following elected officials:

State representatives Kevin Honan,Timothy Madden, and Donald Wong.

State senators Michael Rodrigues and Michael Rush.

Staffers for Atkins, Peake, and Fory were also in attendance.

The annual group photo on the grand staircase followed and after the photo shoot, the artists went to visit the offices of their senators and representatives.

Following visiting the offices of their respective elected officials and enjoying lunch, the crowd of creatives heard from special guest Suzanne Curry of Health Care for All. She discussed the new requirements of the Affordable Care Act and how it will impact artists of all disciplines.

This was followed by a round table discussion on “The 21st Century Role of Labor in Arts & Culture.” Bitetti and Executive Director of the Future Boston Alliance Malia Lazu co-facilitated the discussion. Partaking in it were:

Kelly Bennett (Mass Cultural Council-Exhibitions Curator/Program Officer, Artist Fellowships)
Charles Coe (Co-President of Boston Chapter of National Writers’ Union)
Bob Couture (Vice President of Boston Musicians’ Association)
Amit Dixit (Executive Director of the South Asian Arts Council)
David Hartman (Program Director of the Mass Production Coalition)
Jocelyn Jones (Deputy Division Chief and Special Counsel for Fair Labor Policy, Attorney General’s Office)
Derek Lumpkins (Executive Director of Discover Roxbury)
Susan G. Nelson (Executive Director of SAG-AFTRA New England)

The discussion highlighted the many common issues facing artists and all of labor. It also drove home the need to be involved politically and make one’s voice heard at the ballot box. The discussion ended the activities at the State House, but there was more to come…

The Artists Under the Dome After Party, a collaboration between MALC and the Future Boston Alliance) went from 7 – 11 p.m. at GEM Lounge, 42 Province Street in Downtown Boston. The party was free, open to the public, and attended by a diverse group of artists, art lovers, and political operatives.

Special thanks to the following: The MALC Steering Committee; Joanne Muti of Representative Atkins’ office and Amy Canavan of the Treasurer’s office; Greg Liakos and Meri Jenkins of the Massachusetts Cultural Council; Future Boston Alliance’s Malia Lazu, Erin Anderson and Warith Taha. And a shout out to the staff of Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Arts & Culture Department: Arreen Andrew, John Crowley, Karin Goodfellow, Christian Guerra, and Charlie McEnerney for attending the event.

The AUD annual event usually features home baked goods for those attending and this year’s event featured baked goods by Amy Canavan, Kathleen Bitetti, and MALC Steering Committee member Tony Toledo who also graciously supplied the coffee.