Massachusetts Cultural Council

Latest Articles

Somerville's first artshare delivers

Fresh paint
Instead of buying into harvests of organic fruits and vegetables, shareholders pay a one-time fee of $300 for nine original pieces by local artists.
By LIZ PELLY | September 14, 2011

Don't shortchange the arts

Plus: DeLeo's welcome health-insurance fix, and bicycles and burritos — only in Boston
Building a state budget in these challenging economic times is a thankless task. So much needs to be done, and there is so little cash with which to do it.
By EDITORIAL | April 27, 2011

Let's get serious

Gambling is front and center on Beacon Hill
The odds are that casino gambling is coming to Massachusetts. The state’s big three — Governor Deval Patrick, State Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo — are all in favor.
By EDITORIAL | April 16, 2010

The Cultural Caucus's big gamble

Formed to be a savior of the arts in the Bay State, a political coalition is playing high-stakes poker by putting casinos in its sights
The recently formed Cultural Caucus, a loose, formal coalition comprising a dozen arts-friendly state legislators, appears poised to christen its political life by inserting itself into what could be the most intense statewide political battle of the spring legislative session: the move to allow casino gambling in Massachusetts.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | March 03, 2010

Willy Wonka in Smellovision

Scent of the Times
If you'll imagine the New England Confectionary Company in Revere to be Willy Wonka's magical estate, then Union Square would be the analogous working-class outskirt from where Charlie Bucket hails.
By CHRIS FARAONE | September 09, 2009

Patrick's patchwork

Plus, Massachusetts needs a DNA-testing law
The folks on Beacon Hill deserve credit for crafting a budget in this extraordinarily challenging fiscal climate that will hopefully sustain services at a level just short of disastrous.
By EDITORIAL | July 02, 2009

Art appreciation

Letters to the Boston Phoenix editor, June 12, 2009
The recent Phoenix editorial on state-government funding for arts and culture highlighted many of the challenges we face as we try to meet our aspirations as a community amidst a very difficult economic environment.
By BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS | June 10, 2009

A self-inflicted wound

Why massive cuts to cultural spending are counterproductive
Layoffs, salary reductions, and budget cuts have become distressingly commonplace.
By EDITORIAL | May 20, 2009

Super Sonik

Graffitist Caleb Neelon is a street survivor
When Cambridge native Caleb Neelon talks about how he got hooked on graffiti, he often recounts a trip he took to Germany with his mom in 1990.
By GREG COOK | February 18, 2009

Year in Art: Beyond the gloom

Continuing cheer in dark times
The Boston art scene felt muted for much of 2008, with 10 galleries closing and the death of two local icons: Harriet Casdin-Silver and Jules Aarons.
By GREG COOK | December 22, 2008

The folk and the fine

‘Keepers of Tradition’ and Alexis Rockman
Here in Massachusetts, our old ways tend to reside in ethnic islands and pockets. They may be famous on their street or in their neighborhood or town, but they’re often unheard of outside it.
By GREG COOK | June 16, 2008