Move4ART

Even if you missed it, you can thank The Barr Foundation for sponsoring "A Day of Learning and Networking for the Greater Boston Arts & Culture Community" at   ICA Boston  on 18 November 2013.        The day began with an illuminating presentation by TDC 's Susan Nelson--" Beyond Breakeven:  Why Capitalization Matters ."  Review it and you'll immediately see why the word "illuminating" is not hyperbole.        Key takeaway for us?  The "misalignment" between the measures on which arts organizations all too often rely, and the kind of ongoing market research that keeps capitalization matters in mind.        This fundamental disconnect then leads to a series of double binds for arts organizations: break-even analyses tend to focus on the success of funded projects as opposed to annual operating budgets;  arts organizations, not wanting to appear weak--i.e., "unfundable," effectivel...

Photo credit: G. Sierra Khan              Wheelock Family Theatre showcased the first cohort of young playwrights to participate in its Emerging Playwrights Program  (EPP) last Friday night at the Mattahunt Community Center .          A large, first-floor activity room was converted into a makeshift, flexible theatre space.  And there, with the Boston mural as a backdrop, actors staged readings of the young playwrights' works.      In rapid-fire fashion, the evening's program cycled through five ten-minute plays:  Eden Beleke's Paradise  took a comedic look at cell phone addiction and the tensions it engenders; Jacarrea Garraway's Our Son  finds parents' new possibilities dashed once their son drops out of college and returns home; Alex Drumm, Jr.'s Worst Case Scenario  traps father- and son-in-law to be in an elevator where they hash out their differences, whil...

We're not looking to build a LEED-certified building simply because the City of Boston requires all large-scale developments to meet (if not exceed) the US Green Building standards. We're going green because we want to be part of the solution to the high greenhouse gas emissions typically found in cities like Boston. We appreciate fully the policies Mayor Thomas Menino has put into place to mitigate, and adapt to the effects of climate change; especially the following: Article 37 , Boston's Green Buildings Standard; and Article 80 , Large Project Green Building Review Process. Our internal planning process takes to heart the lessons forwarded via Mayor Menino's Green Building Task Force Report ; with special focus on its " Opportunities for Action " executive summary about the Costs and Benefits of Green Affordable Housing. We're looking to go green, not only for the energy efficiency, but because we see potent opportunities in developing a mix...

First, we must give a double shout-out to MassCreative :  for mobilizing artists and arts organizations around a powerful idea, i.e., to " Create The Vote 2013" (implications for future campaigns?  We hope so.); and for facilitating arts-focused candidate forums.  Kudos are also due to WBUR 's TheARTery for " Arts and the Next Mayor: What Boston Wants and What it May Get "--digitally capturing (and archiving) an arts-focused approach to a campaign now winnowed to  Connolly On The Arts  and Walsh On The Arts .   'Cause here and now, TheARTery 's a time-saver as we try to figure out which of these two guys to vote for on Tuesday, 6 November 2013.   Problem is, plans for the arts being forwarded by the candidates are clearly cut from the same cloth--one woven by what TheARTery describes as "Boston's cultural community."   As a result  both candidates kinda sound alike when talking about how their administrations would ...

Mattapan (Environmental) Action Network's most recent post really captures the mood: Meh! Tuning N2 the Mayoral Race . 'Cause I have been feeling a lil "meh!" about the race; especially as the field ballooned and eventually winnowed. Under the circumstances we'll have to cast our vote based on each candidate's commitment to artists and access to "the ahts"--arts education, arts OST-programming, arts institutions, arts facilities, to arts as a portal to civic engagement.   Tomorrow we'll post our findings here.