State takes lead on creative economy

KUDOS TO the Patrick administration for the appointment of Jason Schupbach as the first "creative economy" director. Massachusetts has long been a center of the arts and education, and it seems obvious that we would be the first to recognize the power of a creative economy. With an economy wearing all the costumes that go along with a recession, this approach should be applauded.

As for remarks by David Tuerck of the Beacon Hill Institute that the appointment smacks of "pandering to fads": The arts have been a part of our civilized world in an organized fashion since the time of the ancient Greeks, when they were held in the same esteem as sports.

Turning the economy around is going to take innovation and inspiration. Every state has the tools to make a widget now; it will be the state that looks to a new design and a creative approach to market the design that comes out ahead.

As an educator, I can only hope that this appreciation of the arts as a part of a newer, better community trickles down to children. If we need arts to help our economic growth, we need arts in our schools to prime the pump.

DONNA WRESINSKI
Framingham