Thank You and Best Wishes for 2015!
Thank You and Best Wishes for 2015!
On behalf of the MALC Steering Committee, I would like to wish everyone a healthy, happy, prosperous, and a creative 2015!
I would like to thank all those who took the time to advocate in support of the pressing issues that impact artists of all disciplines. THANK YOU to our fellow artists of all disciplines, our elected officials and their staff, the policy makers, our fellow advocates, and our fellow citizens. Your support and advocacy was instrumental and deeply appreciated.
I especially want to thank my fellow MALC Steering Committee members (current and past) for all the hard work they did and continue to do. MALC is an all volunteer coalition. We do not take or raise money for what we do. The MALC Steering Committee Members give up their time to make our Commonwealth a better and more supportive place for those who live and create here. I can say that we have an amazing team of brilliant and caring advocates on our Steering Committee and I am honored to work with them.
2014 News Highlights and 2014 Legislative Highlights are included for those who want a recap of what accomplished together.
Thank you again and best wishes to all in 2015!
Kathleen Bitetti
Artist & Co-Founder of MALC
News Highlights of 2014
January 2014: Martin J. Walsh was sworn in as the New Mayor of Boston.
“During his successful campaign in 2013, Walsh presented an artist-centric arts, culture, and creative economy policy that was built on the foundation of cultural diplomacy and connected to the other policy areas throughout his platform (including, but not limited to, public safety, elder services, and housing). Mayor Walsh did not silo his arts policy as a part of his platform, but stipulated the ways in which arts are necessary to effective polices throughout his platform” (1)
- His platform elevated our sector with a cabinet level commissioner for arts & culture.
- Several MALC Steering Committee Members served on Mayor Walsh’s transition team(s) and one MALC Steering Committee Member served on the search committee for Boston’s new cabinet level commissioner for arts & culture.
In February, MALC released its Governor’s Challenge– an 18 page policy road map for our sector.
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/the-malc-challenge-for-the-next-governor-be-a-champion-of-arts-culture-and-the-creative-economy/
(In 2015 MALC will continue to advocate for elements of this road map to become a reality on local, state and national levels)
In the early spring, MALC Steering Committee members met 8 of the 10 candidates running for governor to share our policy vision.
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/massachusetts-governors-race-update/
Over the summer and up to the fall primaries, MALC also engaged with other key candidates running for key state wide elected offices that directly impact working artists of our state.
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/get-vote-informed-voter-general-election-nov-4th/
In July, MALC was recognized for its hard work by WBUR’s ARTery http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/malcs-work-highlighted-artery/
In August, MALC launched our successful Get Your Vote On! Blog series to cover the State Wide Races and to keep voters informed!
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/category/get-your-vote-on/
The November 4th election results further laid out the work ahead for MALC in 2015. http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/get-vote-2014-election-recap/
The 8th Annual Artists Under the Dome Event held on November 13th was the best one yet and MALC looks forward to next year’s being even better! http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/artists-dome-2014-wrap/
December 15th: Boston Arts & Culture Commissioner Julie Burros had her first day at work and was welcomed that night by the Boston Arts Community at Emerson’s Paramount Center. Several MALC Steering Committee Members are part of the host committee and many more are in attendance with the 600 plus crowd. http://events.timesnews.net/brighton_ma/events/show/372269814-welcome-julie-burros-as-the-city-of-bostons-chief-of-arts-culture
December 2014: MALC announced it new blog series, DIYA – Do it Yourself Advocacy, to be launched in January 2015- stay tuned! http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/diya/announcing-for-2015-diya-do-it-yourself-advocacy/
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(1) Quote From MALC’s Governor’s Challenge blog post:
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/the-malc-challenge-for-the-next-governor-be-a-champion-of-arts-culture-and-the-creative-economy/
(2) Mayor Walsh’s Arts & Culture 2013 Campaign Platform: http://www.artistsunderthedome.org/Cultural_Walsh.pdf
2014 Legislative Highlights
1) Our community once again defeated the anti-coop legislation on a state level and in the city of Boston. This legislation, which is filed every year, would have negatively impacted not only artists coops, but all coops.
2) MALC, along with many others, advocated for the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s (MCC) budget.
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/2015-budget-update/
3) MALC also advocated for STEAM. In the State Budget process, we pushed for the proposed State’s STEM Council to be change to the STEAM Council and to include one seat for the MCC on it. The effort to change its name to STEAM fell short in budget conference committee, but the other ask, which was a seat for the MCC, was adopted.
4) Two MALC steering committee members served on the Governor’s task force for public art. The result, announced in December, was that Governor Patrick issued an executive order to reestablish a percent for public art in our State:
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/governor-patrick-signs-executive-order-support-public-art-across-commonwealth/