The Problem with Art..

I write a lot about all the great opportunities there are in this area for appreciating art. This little island of ours – barely 20 miles in circumference – is home to a disproportionate share of artists of diverse disciplines. We have two outstanding art associations -- North Shore and Rockport -- many galleries and studios, Gloucester Stage Company and West End Theater plus Theatre in the Pines, Cape Ann Symphony, the annual Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Cape Ann Historical Museum, Maritime Heritage Center, Sandy Bay Historical Museum, Music at Eden’s Edge, Dancers Courageous, the list seems never ending. We are blessed with an embarrassment of riches. It is why I chose to move here ten years ago and why I still love it.

For six years I served on the Board of Trustees of the North Shore Arts Association until I reached the maximum number of years I could do that and I recently was re-elected to the board of SEArts, the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. I love being a part of these organizations and am honored to give time to them. The Arts are a valuable part of this community -- economically, socially, and spiritually. A study by Americans for the Arts in 2002 demonstrated the impressive economic impact the arts have Cape Ann and numerous studies nationwide show that a strong arts presence is a powerful factor in attracting people and business to an area. But therein lies the problem.

On Saturday I attended a day long retreat for SEArts board members to talk about the direction our organization intends to take. It is an exciting but delicate operation. How do we as conscientious members of this rich arts culture grow as artists, increase business, attract new artists, as well as art appreciators to support our work without undermining the earthy, hard-working charm of this old seafaring town?

The fishing industry is facing enough challenges from government regulations, declining/changing fish populations, and just the relentless march of “progress”. These factors alone have impacted our working waterfront. In just ten years here I have seen the fishing boats disappear one by one and the pleasure boats moving in. The working waterfront with the state fish pier and the fish processing plants is struggling to stay alive – anyone could go on and on about that. Much of what attracted generations of painters, writers and other artists to Gloucester is slipping away and what comes in its place can be frightening.

Here is the vicious cycle of places such as this: 1.) the town is hard-working, authentic and affordable so the artists come because they can afford to live, work and have studio space there, 2.) the artists are productive and thrive, people from the rest of the country begin to take notice and come to take advantage of the arts bringing much needed revenue into the community, 3.) as the arts grow the community becomes increasingly attractive and people who once came just to enjoy the arts decide they want to live there, they begin moving in, 4.) as more new people come prices go up – housing is expensive, there are more demands on resources, the town increases taxes, it is no longer an affordable place to live, 5.) the working citizens of the town have a harder and harder time paying their bills, their children grow up and move away because they can’t afford to live there, the original citizens of the town begin to move away and the high cost of living becomes prohibitive to artists, they start moving out too, 6.) another bedroom community is born.

It’s an issue that many communities have faced, how can we promote the arts, support our fellow artists, and attract new markets while helping to preserve the original character of the town? That is the challenge we face now. It is a challenge those of us on the SEArts board are talking about. Please visit our web site and consider becoming a member.

Thanks for reading.