Creative Thinking
If ever there were two words that didn't seem to go together, they would be creativity and bureaucracy.
But Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick recognizes that what he calls the âcreative economyâ deserves some of the same government support afforded the state's life sciences and technology industries. Patrick recently created a new position within the state Office of Business Development called the Creative Economy Industry Director. The governor also hired Jason Schupbach, a city planner and MIT graduate, to fill the position.
Economic Driver
We commend Patrick for his foresight and his willingness to spend the money, which is already in the state business development budget, to create Schupbach's position. The arts are too often the subject of empty talk by city and state leaders and it's encouraging to see that Patrick can bring similar enthusiasm and commitment to the arts that he's brought to science and technology.
The business development office already has industry directors for the defense, energy, life sciences, information technology and manufacturing sectors. Industry directors help businesses in their sectors take advantage of economic incentives and other resources offered by the state.
In his justification for the creative economy industry director position, Patrick pointed to a New England Foundation for the Arts report from last year. The report said Massachusetts has more than 14,600 arts and culture-related businesses and 7,600 âculturalâ nonprofit organizations. In total, the state's cultural workforce is estimated at 109,000, or about 3.3 percent of the state's overall workforce.
It is in quantifications like this that we urge caution and patience on the part of the governor, because while the arts are just as important as any other sector of the economy, they also tend to defy the cold economic measurements upon which governments rely.
Best Of Both Worlds
In that regard, Patrick has chosen perhaps the best person to make all this happen. Schupbach is young, under 40, and already has extensive experience in economic and cultural development. He was director of ArtsLink, a program that built space for creative businesses, and was also an urban planner for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and a consultant to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
The creative sector, which Patrick has defined as the visual and performing arts, film, digital media, design advertising, architecture and tourism, doesn't simply create jobs, educate people and provide the state with tax revenue. The arts attract people on a visceral as well as intellectual level. The arts are what make cities seem lively. The arts draw media attention and create controversy. People who work outside the creative economy, and perhaps have little connection to it, are nevertheless attracted to places where creativity and the arts flourish.
We are optimistic that a flourishing creative economy can attract people to Massachusetts, and in some ways it already has, with a number of movies being filmed here recently. Further, a flourishing arts scene will attract people to Massachusetts as a place to live, and is thus another very important step in stemming the tide of people, especially young people, leaving the state. We believe that people looking for jobs in technology, or life sciences or other industries are more willing to move their families to a place with a thriving arts scene than just thriving life sciences or technology sectors.
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