| Did You Know?
Annually, Massachusetts cultural nonprofits provide nearly
37,000 jobs, collect and pay $6.6 million in state sales taxes,
and have a total economic impact of over $4.2 billion.1
Nearly 95 percent of Massachusetts voters see the arts as a basic part of a child's education — as basic as English and mathematics.2
Students highly engaged in the arts do better in school and are more involved in their communities.3
The arts reach students who are at risk of failure by connecting them to themselves, each other, and their communities.4
Workers trained in arts and culture drive the success of leading Massachusetts industries, including software development, telecommunications, and new media industries.5
Among the most disadvantaged neighborhoods, those with high levels of cultural participation are more likely to have low rates of juvenile delinquency and truancy.6
Participating in the arts captivates and inspires us, strengthens our ties with others, and helps us, individually and collectively, to wonder at the possibilities of what might be.
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All across Massachusetts, arts and culture are at the center of efforts to build stronger communities, improve the quality of education, and foster economic growth.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) and our partners at the
Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (MAASH)
work to bring attention to these efforts and to demonstrate the
value of public support for arts and culture.
MAASH - a statewide advocacy organization
MAASH is a broad-based, statewide advocacy organization that serves
as a unified voice for the cultural community of Massachusetts.
MAASH identifies issues of importance to the cultural community
and works to influence legislation and public opinion. Read
the latest news from MAASH and tap into its extensive advocacy resources.
MCC's role
As a state agency, MCC cannot lobby state government or advocate for specific legislation. But we believe it is critical to expand awareness and understanding of the power of the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences in building healthy, livable communities. And we can provide information and resources to help our allies in the cultural community tell their stories to government officials, private funders, and the public.
To that end, we have collected some of the most compelling and timely research on the role of arts and culture in building community, enhancing education and youth development, and strengthening the economy:
Arts in Education - Fostering Creative Learning
The MCC seeks to ensure that all children in our state's schools
have access to high-quality, creative learning experiences. We pursue
this goal through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy.
Learn More.
1. "New England's Creative Economy: The Non-Profit Sector,"
2002, by Gregory H. Wassall Ph.D. and Douglas DeNatale Ph.D., New
England Foundation for the Arts, 2005.
2. "Public Opinion Poll, University of Massachusetts, 2004. "Involvement
in the Arts and Success in Secondary Schools," by James S. Caterall,
Ph.D., Americans for the Arts, 1998.
3. "Champions of Change: The Impact of Arts on Learning,"
Arts Education Partnership and the President's Committee on the Arts
and Humanities, 1999.
4. "Creative Economy Initiative: The Role of the Arts and Culture
in New England's Economic Competitiveness," The New England Council,
2000.
5. "Culture Builds Community: Evaluation Summary Report,"
by Mark J. Stern and Susan C. Seifert, Social Impact of the Arts Project,
University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work, 2002.
6. "The Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate About the "Benefits
of the Arts,", " by Kevin F. McCarthy, Elizabeth H. Ondaatje,
Laura Zakaras, and Arthur Brooks, The RAND Corporation, 2004.
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© Massachusetts Cultural Council 2008
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