Gloucester Daily Times
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/
Published: 01/23/2008
'Creative economy' pioneer to address seARTS meeting tonight
By Gail McCarthy
Staff writer
The mayor of a northwest Massachusetts city that's viewed as a model for revitalizing its economy through arts development is bringing his message to Gloucester tonight.
John Barrett III, mayor of North Adams since 1984, will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (searts) tonight at the Gloucester House restaurant.
The searts board was eager to have Barrett, the longest serving mayor in the commonwealth, speak at its meeting because he is a pioneer in the area of what is now called "creative economy," which means using the arts as a key economic development tool.
"We're sort of like a poster child for the new buzz words of creative economy, but I never knew that was what it was when we started," said Barrett. "I want to talk about the North Adams story. The important thing is to talk about it from the government side and how important government is to making it happen."
Gloucester's new mayor, Carolyn Kirk, will introduce Barrett, who was a elementary school teacher for 15 years before running for office.
While in office, Barrett guided the transformation of North Adams, which has a population of roughly 16,000, from a town with a single industry, Sprague Electric, to one whose economy comprises many small businesses and a major arts complex. The site that once housed Sprague Electric - which carried out a series of layoffs, then shut down altogether in the 1980s - is now home to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), which opened in 1999 after more than a decade of effort.
Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco, president of Gloucester's searts board, said the organization was eager to have Barrett speak here because he has been such a strong voice for how the arts can power a local economy. He also can speak from a perspective of longevity because he is one of the few people who has been in a position long enough to have seen the transformation from the early seeds of the idea to its fruition.
"Change doesn't happen overnight," said Ganim-DeFalco. "You need risk-takers. It's a partnership among the municipality, the artists and businesses."
searts has seen growth of its own, from a group in its early stages of formation not quite a decade ago to an organization of more than 200 members today. The group came together shortly before Gloucester created its Plan 2000, out of which grew the city's Committee for the Arts. With ideas circulating about the potential influence of the arts in enriching a community, searts became a more formal organization and a nonprofit agency boosting the arts on Cape Ann.
Barrett, who served as chairman of the MASS MoCA Commission, worked to prove to three governors that the development of MASS MoCA would be "the engine that would drive the North Adams and Northern Berkshire economy," according to his biography.
The efforts were successful. The museum, located in a city with a former reputation as an old mill town, served as a catalyst for North Adams to become a tourist destination.
Gloucester, a city which has been struggling to keep up with changes in its fishing industry, also is looking for ways to invigorate itself.
New board members
seARTS has recently inducted seven new board members.
"Each one brings significant professional experience and depth to the organization," said Ganim-DeFalco. "The new members will nearly double the size of the board and enhance searts' reach into the cultural and artistic communities on Cape Ann and beyond."
The background of the new members provides a range of experience as illustrated by the following brief biographies:
* Kate Seidman, a long-time supporter of the local arts community and owner of The Art Room.
* Anne Robinson, who recently relocated here after a long career in media arts culminating with PBS in Washington, D.C.
* Christy Park, artist and educator most recently at the Massachusetts College of Art.
* Mary Beth Bainbridge, assistant to the chief curator of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.
* Bela Maranhas, a former IBT Financial Services Executive with a background in economics.
* Laura Tapley, an information technology operations officer at Rockport National Bank.
* Mark Vadala, a real estate salesperson on Cape Ann.
Ganim-DeFalco noted that the new board members also will provide searts with more geographic representation. The searts' mission aspires to re-establish Cape Ann as a world-class center for working artists integrated with Cape Ann's maritime environment. Its members include artists, cultural institutions such as the Cape Ann Symphony and the Rocky Neck Art Colony, municipal partners, businesses and individuals who support the arts.
searts wants to present Cape Ann as a cultural destination.
"The new board will give searts better insight into the opportunities to achieve its mission for Cape Ann," Ganim-DeFalco said.
If you go
* What: Annual meeting of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (searts)
* Where: Gloucester House restaurant
* When: Tonight at 6:15. The business meeting begins at 7, open to members, guests and interested residents.
* Cost: $15 with a reservation in advance or $20 at the door.
* Details: For more information, visit www.searts.org or contact Sara Young, executive director, at 978-281-1222. Those attending can pre-register on line at the website, by clicking the event calendar.