Pass the Creative Challenge Index!
Senate bill #2345, An Act Relative to Economic Development
Reorganization, will be debated this Thursday,
April 1 in the MA State Senate. The cultural community has the opportunity to advocate for
three legislative priorities that have been proposed by amendments from Senator
Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst). 1.
Amendment #50 will establish a "Special Commission to
Develop an Index of Creative and Innovative Education in the Commonwealth,"
also known as the Creative Challenge Index. This
amendment does NOT require new or increased spending. The Creative
Challenge Index will enhance creativity by establishing incentive for schools
to implement the core curriculum frameworks that support creative thinking, especially
in and through the arts. The Creative Challenge Index will provide a
measurement to hold our schools accountable for this valuable 21st century
skill beyond MCAS-only testing. The Creative Challenge Index has been
reported out favorably by the Joint Committee on Education. 2.
Amendment #87 will
give cities the power to establish cultural districts to enhance the creation
of art and to create new tourist destinations 3.
Amendment #51 will
create a disaster aid fund for artists. Please call, e-mail or write your State Senator right away
to support these three amendments. To find your State Senator click here. You can find his/her e-mail
address at the State House by clicking here. To call your state senator, please dial 617-722-2000,
select operator and ask for your state senator by name. The debate begins Thursday, April 1, so we have ONE DAY to make our voices
heard.
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Save our Performing Arts Centers! Need 500-seat limit on Casino Venues
Contact your state representative to
ask him/her to support a 500-seat limitation on casino entertainment
venues.
Sometime in the next one-two weeks, the
Massachusetts House of Representatives will debate the new casino gambling bill
which will authorize resort casinos. The proposed resort casinos plan to build
2500 seat entertainment venues that will snatch headline performers, concerts
and even Broadway shows away from existing theaters. Arts|Learning does not take a stand on whether or not to support casino gambling; the issue regarding entertainment venues, however, is concerning.
Resort
casinos use entertainment to draw
people to the slot machines. Consequently, they undercut ticket prices
and lock up the best acts by paying premium prices. Often times they require exclusivity contracts forbidding the entertainers to perform elsewhere in the state within a 150 mile radius.
The
downtown performing arts centers
strengthen our communities. These theaters draw people to their
communities and provide the customer base for restaurants. Historic
theaters like the Hanover Theatre, Worcester;
Lowell Memorial Auditorium; Springfield City Stage; Colonial Theater,
Pittsfield; Citi Center, Boston; and
many more across Massachusetts
are the anchors for downtown revitalization.
Now is the time to raise your voice to
save the downtown theaters!
You can find your legislator at this link. Whether you support gambling or not, ask
for a level playing field! Act now to save our performing arts
centers and protect our downtowns!
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