Bricks, mortar, and inspiration
DANCERS defy gravity. Artworks inspire. And history museums radiate the past. But behind the scenes at many Massachusetts cultural organizations, things are falling apart. Roofs leak. Bathrooms are small. And heating and air conditioning can be spotty.
In 2004, a Boston Foundation report said that 123 organizations needed $1.1 billion in repairs and expansions over five years. In 2006, the state Legislature responded by creating a cultural facilities fund with $13 million in grant money that could be used for planning or construction.
But now, even before the first grants have been announced, the state's annual contribution to the facilities fund has shrunk to only $5 million in the 2008 budget. The Legislature should add more. Massachusetts needs a healthy cultural infrastructure so it can reap the cultural and economic benefits.
The facilities fund furthers this goal -- while also pushing groups to help themselves, by requiring them to raise matching funds.
In the first round, there are 199 grant requests from organizations in 89 cities and towns seeking $80 million: $2 million in planning grants and $78 million for construction. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, in the Berkshires, applied for $136,000 to expand parking and repair a crack in the foundation of its Ted Shawn Theatre. A second planning grant request for $45,000 would help guide the growth of the Jacob's Pillow campus, which includes its theaters, studios, and housing.
The Museum of African American History in Boston has asked for $1 million to help finance an $8 million restoration. This would return the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill to its 1855 appearance. So far the museum has raised $3 million. The state grant would put fund-raising at the halfway mark -- and add a seal of approval that could attract needed matching funds and other donations.
Before its renovations, the nonprofit Coolidge Corner movie theater in Brookline was a temple of faded beauty. The shabbiness had a campy chic, but its amenities weren't modern. Thanks to fund-raising and a loan, the Coolidge has been revitalized. The seats are new, the theaters are handicapped-accessible, and art deco features have been restored. But renovations continue. The theater wants to hold more live performances and collaborate with other cultural groups. And the theater has loan payments to make. So it has applied for a grant of $290,000 to help pay its bills.
Massachusetts faces regional competition. Through the sale of municipal bonds, New York City's 2008 budget calls for investing $1.4 billion over four years in construction funding for 215 cultural organizations.
As a cradle of history and culture, Massachusetts has to keep up, investing strategically to keep its cultural backbone strong.
