I had the opportunity to sit at the roundtable at MassMOCA yesterday with many other people involved in the Creative Economy and have a discussion with Gov. Deval Patrick, Jason Schupbach, Director of the Creative Economy Sector, and other representatives from the state and local government. The Gov. runs a good meeting, and the comments were substantive and useful. It’s all about the money, in the end: how do resources get allocated and where does investing public funds bring you the greatest return.
I had the opportunity to speak to Gov. Patrick after the meeting briefly about my views, that the non-profit cultural sector fundamentally IS the economy of the Berkshires, and that a job at Barrington Stage or Shakespeare & Company is just as good a job, and worth preserving and tending, as a job at a for-profit. As he said himself, “I’m increasingly struck by the opportunity presented by a strong cultural element,” said governor. “How do we build on that even at a time of scarce resources?”
It’s heartening to see the development that has taken place in the past few years since Berkshire Creative (www.berkshirecreative.org) was formed and came on the scene a new voice in the Economic Development world of the Berkshires. It’s exciting to see the changes, but there is still so much to do. I hope that the delegation took away some incentive to reinvest in the MCC, the Cultural Facilities Funds, The Film Commission and other agencies that have seen their budgets cut in the past year. Thanks for coming out to see us, Gov. Patrick.