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| 波士頓市長馬丁華殊（Martin Walsh）（右二）和市長資深政策顧問喬伊絲林乃肯（Joyce Linehan）（右起），文化藝術長朱利巴洛斯（Julie Barros），Barr基金會董事長James E. Canales，聯袂宣傳“波士頓創造”。（菊子攝） |
波士頓市長馬丁華殊（Martin
Walsh）和波市首任文化藝術長茱莉巴洛斯（Julie Barros）等人，昨（九）日在市政府大樓大堂宣佈，推出“波士頓創造”，要在十六個月內深入社區，廣徵意見，藉以打造波士頓未來十年的藝術形象，文化生活。
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| 波士頓市長馬丁華殊（Martin Walsh）強調文化藝術的重要。（菊子攝） |
波士頓市長馬丁華殊透露，前年競選市長時，坊間辦過多次市長候選人論壇，其中出席人數最多的兩次論壇，一次有關環境議題，另一次就是文化藝術，各有八百多人。他上任市長十六個月以來，也漸次發覺，波士頓需要一個“文化計畫”，讓波士頓的文化及藝術形象，更能反映波士頓的歷史，市內居民多元背景，藝術成就。“波士頓創造”將根據社區大眾的意見，來塑造這一形象，規劃出未來十年的波士頓市“文化計畫”。
馬丁華殊感謝Barr基金會，Klarman家庭基金會在波市府目前沒有多少文化藝術經費之際，撥款贊助這一活動。他表示，在剛地交出去的2016年度波士頓預算中，已經要求增編了文化藝術經費，希望在“波士頓創造”贏得更多社區支持後，將來能爭取到更多經費，
Barr基金會，Klarman家庭基金會為支持這放眼未來的創舉，各捐了七十萬元。波市府文化藝術長茱莉巴洛斯，波士頓巴洛克（Baroque）主任Miguel
Rodriguez，Barr 基金會文化藝術項目資深主任黃珊珊（San San Wong）等人組成的十六人指導委員會，從去年九月起，每月開會一至兩次的討論了不下半年。
Barr基金會董事長James E. Canales表示，資助打造文化藝術形象的意見徵集和籌備，不是該會一向的捐款種類，但為幫助波士頓人把握這一輩子難有的一次機會，該會很高興參與盛舉。
在芝加哥曾主持過類似創造文化藝術形象活動的波市首任文化藝術長茱莉巴洛斯表示，波市府已決定，“波士頓創造”的社區意見徵詢活動完成，制定草案後，將交由非牟利組織，“文化計畫團（Cultural
Planning Group）”，以及劍橋市的 WolfBrown 公司承辦計畫執行。
“波士頓創造”網站www.bostoncreates.org，現正邀請市民上網登記，加入成為志工，深入社區的聽取民眾意見。目前預計今年六月二日（週二），在英文高中舉辦第一次城鎮會議，邀請波市所有民眾出席，分享意見，訂定文化藝術項目的優先順序，接著再經由訪問個人，團體，來整理出一幅波士頓文化資產完整地圖，包括波市都有哪些文化組織，節慶活動，以及公共藝術品等。最後版本的“文化計畫”預定2016年六月完成。查詢相關細節，可上網www.bostoncreates.org，或上推特#BostonCreates。
MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES BOSTON CREATES
Community driven process will create first-ever Cultural Plan for Boston
BOSTON - April 9, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the launch of Boston’s cultural planning process that will create a blueprint for arts and culture in the City of Boston. Boston Creates will engage residents, visitors, and stakeholders to help local government identify cultural needs, opportunities, and resources and to think strategically about how these resources can help the community to achieve its civic goals. The process will create a ten-year plan, designed to prioritize, coordinate, and align public and private resources to strengthen cultural vitality over the long term. Volunteers are sought to join the Leadership Council and Community Teams to advise on, guide, and drive participation in the process throughout its duration.
“Boston is a city of innovation, diversity and collaboration - a city where creativity and imagination are some of our most powerful assets,” said Mayor Walsh “Over the next fifteen months, we are going to look to all voices in the city to tell us what matters. This shared vision for the City will ensure all residents can fully experience and benefit from Boston’s vibrant arts and cultural life.”
In September 2014, Mayor Walsh appointed a 15-member steering committee, comprising representatives from City government and the arts. This committee was charged with recommending a cultural planning consultant team and advising the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.
Upon the recommendation of the Steering Committee, Boston Creates will be led by the Cultural Planning Group, a consulting practice serving the field of arts and culture with some of the country’s foremost experts in organizational capacity building and public art. Founded in 1998, they have worked with municipalities across the country to create cultural plans. Locally, they will partner with WolfBrown and Archipelago Strategies to design a robust research methodology, understand the unique creative identity of Boston, and create a plan based on the priorities of the community.
“The Cultural Planning Group has a unique set of skills and a knowledge base of cultural planning that will help Boston understand how it can become a municipal arts leader,” said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. “Together, we will create a plan that builds on our existing creative assets, achieves consensus on the top priorities for improvement, and clearly spells out how we can move forward to implement the recommendations in the plan.”
The process will depend upon community participation for its success. The Cultural Planning Group will be working to engage individuals across the city in the process, creating a Leadership Council and Community Engagement Teams that will help guide the process throughout its duration. Applications for these volunteer roles can be found atwww.bostoncreates.org.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015, Boston Creates will host its first Cultural Planning Town Hall, inviting everyone from across the city to share their opinions and ideas about cultural priorities. The Town Hall will be followed by interviews with individuals and groups to lay out a comprehensive map of Boston’s cultural assets, including its variety of arts organizations, festivals, and public art locations.
“The plan will be the most authentic if people engage,” said David Plettner-Saunders, partner at the Cultural Planning Group. “We want to help Boston define its unique creative identity, develop a shared vision for the creative future and identify the sustainable resources that can make it happen. Ultimately, we will strive to create a plan that is both realistic and aspirational, one that has support of the public and the Mayor and one that will lead to greater civic leadership. We believe this is achievable through diverse participation and shared voices.”
In partnership with the City of Boston, the Barr Foundation and the Klarman Family Foundation have provided the funding necessary to ensure the cultural planning process could be launched in a timely manner and that it be informed by best practices from other cities.
“This is an exciting moment in time for Boston, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a plan that harnesses the full potential of arts, culture, and creativity to inspire us, to enrich our lives, and to enliven our communities,” said James Canales, president and trustee of The Barr Foundation. “Along with many others, we look forward to being a constructive partner in advancing arts and culture well into the future.”
The Cultural Plan is expected to be complete in June 2016. For more information, visit www.bostoncreates.org. Twitter users can engage with the process on social media using #BostonCreates.
