Pittsfield Officials Believe the Arts Vital to City Planning

Elected officials in Pittsfield “get it”. Their recent forum, covered by Joe Durwin at iBerkshires.com, reports valuable lessons for artists and artists-advocates.

(John) Krol, who also participated in the downtown cultural push of recent years as the city’s public affairs coordinator and as host of the “Good Morning Pittsfield” radio talk show, talked about obstacles overcome in making Pittsfield a more culture-savvy city.

“It didn’t just happen. It was really hard work,” he said. “When we decided to put a $1 million to make the Colonial Theatre happen, that was a good decision. We invested a half-million dollars in Barrington Stage Company, and ultimately a loan for the Beacon Cinema. Those were decisions where each one became easier after we made the first hard one. The first hard one, of course, was the Colonial.”

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“Teaching your elected officials … is critical”

“Teaching your elected officials about your issues, and your needs is critical,” said Farley-Bouvier. “Don’t underestimate how effective you can be.”

“Be organized, and advocate”

“Come to me with information, and teach me about what you do,” the legislator (Tricia Farley-Bouvier) told the 40 or so attendees, representing a multitude of different interests in the local cultural economy. “Be organized, and advocate. When it comes times for funding for issues, don’t sit back and think someone else is going to do it for you. Be aggressive.”

 Be sure to read the entire story of Pittsfield’s example here.