We have may have been misinformed about who is responsible for appointing an art czar and creating an Office of Art and Culture for the Nutter administration. We are removing her name and email from this post.
Here’s what remains of this post as we originally wrote it:
Here are three swell letters written (slightly excerpted) in response to our plea for everyone to email (name removed) to move Mayor Nutter off the dime and appoint an arts czar and open the Office of Arts and Culture. Do your part and send an email today! (The emails addresses have been removed; if we find out a correct contact person, we will pass along the name). These samples should make it easier for you.
A day late and a dollar short?
Like most members of the Philadelphia arts community, I worked for Mayor Nutter’s campaign and celebrated his victory… I also attended the Cultural Alliance annual meeting where Nutter spoke of his commitment to appointing the head of the Office of Arts and Culture “before lunch of his first day in office.” While he meant to be humorous, we all understood his emphasis – that the arts, and the office in particular, would be a top priority in his administration.
It’s now January 22 and the arts community is watching as the momentum from Nutter’s campaign passes us by. Philadelphia will not have an integrated plan for renewal as long as the Office of Art and Culture is a “day late and a dollar short.” These last two weeks the head of this office should have been moving in and meeting with his/her counterparts in the Nutter administration. The budget deadline looms and so far the city has no one in City Hall who brings the expertise and advocacy necessary to represent arts and culture in Philadelphia.
…The arts and culture community is eager to contribute to the tremendous momentum that came with the Mayor’s election. It is a golden opportunity. We need an Office of Arts and Culture that is considered vital to the future of our city.
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Remember the arts!
Mayor Nutter has indicated his support for the area’s arts institutions and it is important that he act on this by following up with his promise to re-open an Office of Arts and Culture within the Mayor’s Office.
This is neither a marginal nor a luxury issue. The arts are important to all sectors of the city and one place where Philadelphians have a significant opportunity to appreciate the cultural, political and intellectual diversity of our community.
All studies have shown that exposure to the arts benefits children’s academic education — which is obviously a priority crucial to Philadelphia’s future. I hope the Mayor will lead the way in this effort.
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A plea for the arts
I am writing you to remind you of the importance of setting up the city’s office of arts and culture NOW before time passes and other fires must be fought (which are already looming large). As artblog said here
We’re wondering what happened to Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s campaign promise of reestablishing an Office of Arts and Culture and art czar. It’s like deja vu all over again. Make a promise, break a promise.
What’s the politics of it? We’re not sure. But we know that the longer the decisions linger–creating the office and naming its head–the more likely this is not going to happen for another year. The budget is due at the end of January. In which department will the budget line for art be? Or, in other words, will it be anywhere?
And when city union negotiations come up on the mayor’s agenda in a couple of months, fuggeddaboudit. The political and financial pressures will be enormous and the focus won’t be on art.
Please resolve the impasse and come to a speedy fair solution. That will benefit all of us in the visual arts community and everyone in the city.
