THINGS TO DO
t r a f o Work By Sean McCarthy
For more than two decades New Bedford has been experiencing a renaissance,
and its arts and culture have played a major role. First published in December 2018, the city’s Arts and Culture Plan has been a significant catalyst for that progress, supporting and advancing arts and culture in this unique seaport metropolis.
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ew Bedford is gaining international attention for what it has to offer and it shows no signs of stopping. The establishment of “New Bedford Creative” has become a vital stimulus for that prosperity. “Arts and culture is the best way for us to market this city as a great place to be,” says Derek Santos, Executive Director of the New Bedford Economic Development Council. “People want to know if this is a good place to live, to visit, and to hang out in general. We can showcase the city as a place with a lot going on – people are out and great stuff is happening. That type of vibe says that this is a place where coming together is important, where culture is important.
“Artists are small businesses, they’re a part of our business community,” Santos says. “They produce a product and they get paid for that product. Arts and culture has a way of contributing to other sectors of the economy – it’s a community development tool, an economic development tool, and a great-place-to-live tool.” In 2012, New Bedford found itself in the company of San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles when Richard Florida of The Atlantic magazine ranked it as the seventh most artistic city in America. In 2016, the Massachusetts Cultural Council recognized New Bedford as the most creative community in the state. The city took steps to take advantage of their creative community when Mayor Jon
Mitchell proposed the Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund in the spring of 2016. The fund allocated revenue generated from the city’s lodging tax (from city hotels) to be a catalyst for managing growth in its cultural and tourism sectors. A group of local volunteers from the community would soon come together to draft “New Bedford Creative,” a 10-year initiative with the slogan, “Our art, our culture, our future.” “If you look at the people who were involved in the creation of the plan you’ve got a diverse group of folks,” Santos says. “The people involved in this see it as a valuable thing. Getting all those folks in the room for that period of time, and coming together for an overall vision, was CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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May 2021 | The South Coast Insider
