To Amherst voters: The Amherst Center Cultural District posed a series of questions to Town Council candidates regarding the importance of arts and culture in Amherst for your consideration. About half of them responded. Below are the questions posed and responses from participating candidates. The following candidates did not respond: [Vira Douangmany Cage, Pat DeAngelis, Anna Devlin Gauthier, Robert Greeney, Pam Rooney, Michele Miller, Vince O’Connor, Cathy Schoen, Ellisha Walker]
AMHERST TOWN COUNCIL CANDIDATES’ VIEWS
ON ARTS & CULTURE IN AMHERST
What cultural events have you attended recently?
Shalini Bahi-Milne
Juneteenth
Concerts on the commons
I organized the India and Pakistan celebration of the 75th year of Independence, Stand up comedy .
Lynn Griesemer
Due to COVID-19, most of the cultural events I have attended recently have been virtual, primarily musical and dramatic performances on PBS and steaming services. Locally, I have attended some recent outdoor events including the September 10 inauguration of the Portal Gallery on Boltwood Plaza and the September 23 Puerto Rican Heritage event on the North Common. I also attended the September 24 75th Anniversary of Independence for India and Pakistan including music, dance, and dress related to both cultures.
Mandi Jo Hanneke
Among other events, I have attended cultural events such as the India & Pakistan Flag 75th Celebration, the reading (as a reader) of Frederick Douglass’s What to the Slave is the Fourth of July, and the Juneteenth celebrations and Civil War Tablet viewing. I have attended music performances ranging from solo performances to large ensemble performances, and at locations such as the Town Common, an orchard, a vineyard, and a museum.
Anika Lopes
Locally, I was an organizer for the Juneteenth Amherst 2021 celebration. My contributions were creative direction for the West Cemetery, Bangs Center, and Fashion Show at The Mill District. The center piece of this event was a public exhibit of Amherst Civil War Tablets, a project initiated by my grandfather in 2000. They list my 4 times great-grandfather, Christopher Thompson, who volunteered with the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, and later, the 5th Calvary who went to Texas to deliver the news of freedom on June 19th, 1865, the day we now celebrate as Juneteenth. The India and Pakistan's 75th year of independence celebration presented by Shalini Bahi-Milne. Soul in the Horn www.soulinthehorn.com
Dorothy Pam
I am an avid theatre goer, attending performances locally—Amherst, Holyoke, the Berkshires, and in New York City. Even after we moved to Amherst, we still did a week of solid theatre going in NYC every winter with additional trips down to BAM, the Public Theatre, Shakespeare in the Park, Lincoln Center.
Covid has put a stop to most of that. We recently attended the live Al Franken Show at the Academy of Music, and despite their checking cards, it felt unsafe to be sitting right next to people, not even skipping seats. So during the epidemic I have only watched two Holyoke Community College Theatre Department original productions on Zoom, featuring some of my students and their writing. We attended the Amherst Regional HS outdoor Sound of Music, and many chamber music concerts on Zoom. We also enjoyed the ARPHS last minute zoomed performance of Spring’s Awakening during the first week of shut down.
Evan Ross
Over the past several months I attended numerous outdoor concerts on the Common featuring a range of musicians. I also attended the Town's Juneteenth celebration, which featured dance, music, and a fashion show. These outdoor events brought arts and culture to our community safely during the pandemic.
George Ryan
BID Summer Concerts on the Common
Amherst Cinema film showings
Before COVID yearly trips to the Stratford Festival in Canada and occasional B'way play
Andy Steinberg
One of many regrets about the Covid pandemic is that I have been unable to attend events I would normally enjoy including theatre, music and visual art exhibits. I appreciated streamed theatre programs but it isn't the same for me or for the actors. I was able to enjoy some of the open air concerts during the summer. I also want to acknowledge the importance of Arts Night Plus for many years, that it was missed during the pandemic, and the community's loss as it is now ending for other reasons.
Jennifer Taub
Since I've only been attending outdoor cultural events, I recently attended the Green River Music Festival and concerts on the Town Common. (This evening, I had tickets to see St. Vincent at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven, but gave them to a friend - still not comfortable attending in-door events.)
What arts organizations do you support or are you a part of?
Shalini Bahi-Milne
We support and enjoy the programming at the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center and members of Amherst Cinema.
Lynn Griesemer
I am an Emeritus member of the Friends of the Fine Arts Center having served on that board for 8 years. And, my family continues to supports the UMass Fine Arts Center with annual donations. We have supported the Amherst Cinema since its opening by sponsoring a seat, and just renewed that this past year when they refurbished the seats. Our son is a musician and plays with The Troupe at Berkshire Hills Music Academy. We support BHMA and attend its events either in person (recently on the South Hadley Common) or virtually (see above).
Mandi Jo Hanneke
I am a viola player in the Pioneer Valley Symphony. I am a subscriber at the Fine Arts Center. I financially support a number of local arts organizations, as well as my childhood youth orchestra.
Anika Lopes
So many! Anika Lopes Millinery, Soul in the Horn, CFDA, Black Fashion Council to name a related few.
Dorothy Pam
Memberships and regular attendance at Amherst Cinema, Norfolk (CT) Chamber Music Festival/ Yale Summer School of Music, Eric Carle Museum, KO Festival, Music at Amherst, Shakespeare and Co, Barrington Stage, New Century Theatre, Williamstown Theatre, Sandglass Puppet Theatre.
Theatre at UMass, Smith College, Mount Holyoke, Holyoke Community College, even the Williston School.
I have performed in many KO Festival workshops, and sold ads for the program. At Holyoke Community College performed Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest and La Poncia in House of Bernarda Alba a few years ago. In the past few years I have taught classes in speech, acting, and theatre history at HCC.
With Grandchildren: Starlite Theatre, Miss Leticia’s Music School, Pineapple Dance, Amherst Ballet, Easthampton Circus Arts.
Evan Ross
[No response]
George Ryan
Member of the Amherst Cinema
Member of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
Member of the Rubin Museum in NYC
Andy Steinberg
I support and attend local theatre, and miss New Century. I attend concerts at Amherst College and the Pioneer Valley Symphony and hope that 2022 brings them back to us. I support a charitable trust that funds new classical works by young composers.
Jennifer Taub
Amherst Cinema – in addition to being longstanding members, my husband and I have endowed two seats in the large auditorium and, along with other neighbors, recently endowed a seat in memory of a dear friend.
My husband (Steve Bloom) is a member of the fundraising committee for the Drake – we recently made a contribution.
Pre-COVID, I regularly attended events at the Iron Horse, the Academy of Music, the Parlor Room, the National Yiddish Book Center, the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the Fine Arts Center at UMass, the Shea Theater in Turners Falls, and, during summers, Watermelon Wednesdays in Conway and the Double Edge Theater in Ashfield. A little further from home, I frequent Tanglewood, Jacobs Pillow, Shakespeare and Company, and MASS MoCA. The Fine Arts and Gardner Museums in Boston, as well as many museums and theater in NYC make up the greater part of my cultural activities. There’s little I enjoy more than an evening at the theater and performing arts venues
What role could the town Council have in recommending financial support for the arts in Amherst?
Shalini Bahi-Milne
The more we can integrate art in our racial and social justice, climate action goals, and social infrastructure like our libraries, the easier it will be for the town council to prioritize funding for the arts. For example, when designing a BIPOC youth center or the teen space in our library, we can invite the youth to lead community art projects in collaboration with professional artists to create spaces they'd like to use.
Lynn Griesemer
The creative economy of Town of Amherst is important to our Community, and as stated in the question, the presently seated Town Council passed the revised Percent for Art Bylaw so that it is consistent with state fiscal requirements. Most importantly is the relationship of that Bylaw to the upcoming capital projects -- the elementary school, DPW, and the Fire/EMS Station south of downtown. Each of these will require that a percentage of the Town's portion of the funds to construct these facilities be devoted to the arts. Looking for other opportunities like these is important and the Town Council should engage in those efforts.
Mandi Jo Hanneke
In addition to the Percent for Arts bylaw, Amherst funds the arts through programming at the Recreation Department, Senior Center, and Schools, as well as, to some extent, the Jones Library. The Town Council can continue to support these departments with adequate funding for them to continue providing subsidized arts and culture programming to residents.
Anika Lopes
I fell in love with the arts in the first grade at Wildwood, and later, with sculpture at the Middle School. Today I am a master milliner, in part, because I was introduced to sculpture at the Amherst Middle School. I have designed hats for Madonna, Usher, Jimmy Page, Douglas Miles, film and TV, and now many of my hat blocks are here in Amherst. Some are as antique as Amherst's Civil War tablets; they come from one of the first African American man to have a hat factory in the millinery section of the Garment District in NYC. Arts and Culture sets the tone, stage, and vibe for community, attracts tourists and visitors, and inspires our youth. The Town Council could explore all possible avenues to support the arts in Amherst.
Dorothy Pam
In addition to the percent for Art bylaw which I supported, the Town of Amherst must increase the Leisure Services budget for theatre performances, both big and small; spend money to upgrade the theatre and auditoriums at the Amherst Regional Middle School and High School.
Evan Ross
The Percent for Art Bylaw was a great path forward to encourage more public art for our community. The Town Council should continue to advocate for the arts to be part of economic development in our Town and push the Town staff to seek out grants and other funding that can invest in our creative economy and generate more public art. The Council sets the policy direction for the Town and the priorities, and should make clear that the arts are a priority.
George Ryan
See my response below to budget question -- in our current fiscal situation increased funding in one area means cuts in another. It is difficult to advocate for the Town to fund arts and culture projects when we don't have enough firefighters, our roads and sidewalks are in disrepair, we don't have enough inspectors to enforce our rental registration bylaws, and a host of Town Departments can't address staffing needs.
Andy Steinberg
The Percent for Art initiative will make art a part of our new public buildings. There may be some opportunities through the American Recovery Act and the Council can endorse recommendations from the Town Manager. A current initiative will be to support the proposed bandshell for the Town Common, which requires Council approval. Continued support for the January theatre program that is a volunteer effort through the Recreation Department (formerly LSSE) that provides opportunities for performers, others involved in production, and audiences. The Town needs to also find space for set production.
Jennifer Taub
I believe the Council should actively promote support for arts and culture in Amherst – it’s an essential part of revitalizing downtown, supporting Destination Amherst, and bringing visitors and tourism to town. Taking advantage of funding provided through the MA Cultural Commission and other funding opportunities should be vigorously pursued.
Amherst should also explore innovative approaches that other towns have adopted to support and promote the arts. For example, Berkeley has instituted a Public Art on Private Development Program. (https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Public_Art_on_Private_Development_Program.aspx)
What three specific things will you do that will deepen Amherst’s investment in its creative economy?
Shalini Bahi-Milne
I'd like to invest in community art projects in our schools, libraries, downtown, and village centers that are led by BIPOC artists and engage community members to create art together to promote awareness of issues that our town values such as social and racial justice and climate action goals.
We can use the existing projects like beautification of the commons to include components of art woven into the design.
I support the initiatives by our community partners like the BID in creating community spaces and infrastructure like the performance shell and Drake's that will promote arts and culture.
Lynn Griesemer
The three specific things that I support that will deepen Amherst's investment in the creative economy are:
1. Ensuring that the Percent for Art Bylaw is applied to the major building projects;
2. Continued development and renewal of outdoor art such as the Portal Gallery on Boltwood Plaza;
3. Encourage the Town to seek additional grants to increase our outdoor art including matching funds as required.
Mandi Jo Hanneke
Much of what is needed to deepen Amherst’s investment in its creative economy is not within the purview of the Town Council. However, there are some things the Council has done, or can do in the future, to help. For example, the Council voted to permit alcohol consumption on the Town Common, which allowed the Concert Series on the Common to thrive this summer. Another example is the progress the Council has made in supporting a performance shell on the Common. The Council could look closely at the permitted uses in various areas of Town to ensure that live performance venues are permitted in appropriate areas of Town.
Anika Lopes
Daylight Amherst's rich African American and Native American history with projects that enhance tourism, engage residents, and jazz up history class for students of all ages.
Encourage, with ability to execute, bringing renowned artists and storytellers of all mediums to Amherst to collaborate with or spotlight extraordinary local talent.
Support existing and attract new creative industries. They are the heart of the creative economy, which is fluid and evolves by definition, and important sources of commercial and cultural value.
Dorothy Pam
1. Support the Town’s taking over and adapt the soon to be redundant Firehouse at the center of town into a performing arts venue with rehearsal room, performance spaces, and perhaps dinner theatre. Provide the funding & secure grants for the physical reconstruction and provide some of the funds to maintain it. Many towns in Mass have done this using municipal funding and grants. They do not expect it to be completely self supporting, but worthy of subsidy.
2. Support the privately funded BID Performance Shell on the South Common and make a deal with Amherst College regarding parking in their adjacent lots. Town could help provide maintenance of the Shell and its surroundings.
3. Support the Drake. Support the use the Town Amity Street parking lot augmented by some of the Bank of America’s parking space for a more centrally located and visible parking structure, esp for out of towners.
Evan Ross
1. Support the establishment of an outdoor performing arts venue on the Town Common as proposed by the Business Improvement District. This will send a clear message that Amherst is invested in the performing arts and making the performing arts accessible to all.
2. Work to ensure we have the infrastructure to support arts tourism. An outdoor performing arts venue, a music venue (The Drake), and a world-class arthouse cinema can only survive if patrons come to our town to enjoy them. This means making sure we have the infrastructure to support Amherst as an arts destination, including ensuring adequate downtown parking. I have advocated for a parking structure downtown to ensure we have the parking infrastructure to support a downtown arts economy.
3. Support a multicultural center as proposed by the Community Safety Working Group so that we invest in BIPOC-led arts and culture.
George Ryan
Recommend allocation of ARPA funds to support the proposal to create a live music venue downtown ("The Drake")
Continue to support efforts by the BID and the Chamber to promote the arts and cultural tourism, such as "What's NEXT" and "Destination Amherst"
Andy Steinberg
I will support at least 3 initiatives. Possible examples: (1) One issue in the campaign is development in downtown. Amherst needs a vision for its downtown, which is also the core of the Cultural District. That vision could focus on art, visual and performance. The proposed band shell is one step to actualizing that vision. The creation of the Drake Performing Arts venue is another. (2) Consistent with that vision of downtown, the Planning Board could consider a bylaw that would reward any new building that allocates 0.5% of the cost for construction to art incorporated in the building. The PB might identify a different or better mechanism. (3) We are finally building new town buildings. The Council must be vigilant to assure compliance with the Percent for Art bylaw.
Jennifer Taub
1. Actively support – through time and financial resources – the Drake music venue. Work with the BID and the Arts and Cultural District to bring cultural events and artists working in all mediums, to Amherst
2. Work with Amherst College and UMass to promote and support our creative community. Amherst’s many cultural offerings (which we must do all that we can to sustain and expand) can be part of what attracts students to attend UMass, Hampshire and Amherst College. Thousands of parents regularly visit Amherst – for a small town, that’s a built-in audience for our arts and entertainment venues.
3. Support budgeting that prioritizes funding to maintain a robust arts curriculum in our K-12 schools.
How would you modify the Town's current budget process to include funding for the arts?
Shalini Bahi-Milne
The CDBG funding could be used for promoting arts in affordable housing units being built in town. In the meeting where we set the financial indicators, we need to discuss the value of arts and culture and figure out creative ways to support it.
Lynn Griesemer
I would like to see the creation of a public fund for the arts that allows the Town to contribute funds and seeks private donations and grants.
Mandi Jo Hanneke
Budgeting is about tradeoffs. There are many constraints on our budgets – including legal limits to how much we can raise taxes, the residents’ desire for many, many services, and the need to use these funds for both our operating needs and our capital needs.
The annual operating budget to the Town must be for the benefit of all residents. These municipal funds are intended to allow the Town to maintain high-quality services that its residents both need and want. Sometimes we focus too much on “maintaining level services” and not enough on what the trade-off of starting with that focus means, which is that nearly all of the increase in revenue each year is subsumed by increased salaries, thereby rarely allowing enough money to begin new programs or hire new people. We should consider using zero-based budgeting every few years. This is an approach to budgeting that involves developing a new budget from scratch (i.e., starting from “zero”), versus starting with the previous year's budget and adjusting it as needed. This would allow the Town to assess what funding is actually necessary to provide suitable services, contrasted with a budget that would provide above adequate or below adequate services. If done right, the Town, the Council, and the Manager would be able to finally discuss the funding of each department intelligently, instead of always starting from a “level-services” outlook, without regard to whether “level-services” is actually what we want or need for each program, and then determine appropriate funding levels based on those conversations.
Anika Lopes
Exploration of removing nice-to-have features from flexible projects or within economic vitality allotment.
Dorothy Pam
The Town of Amherst could include funds for some staff and maintenance for some of the private arts buildings just as they do for the Jones Library which is owned by a private corporation. The hope is that the increased revenue which will flow to the town will help offset the new expenditures.
Evan Ross
Arts and culture are essential to economic vitality, as they make Amherst a destination. The Town Council should include support for the arts in the Town Manager goals and budget guidelines regarding economic development. This will highlight to the Manager and staff to seek funding, whether through grants or otherwise, to support Amherst's creative economy.
George Ryan
Budgets are tight. Year after year departments are told to budget for level services; no new hires. This year however the Council has asked the Town Manager to hire 8 new Town employees and create a new Town Department. It is hard to see where the money for the arts can come from in such a budget situation. Rather than looking to Town funds accessing private or state grant funding and collaborations with UMass and the two colleges would seem a more fruitful path to funding for the arts.
Andy Steinberg
We have to recognize the pressures already on the budget. There are demands to protect or increase funding for current programs and services and to add a CRESS program and funding to achieve climate and energy goals. The Town is struggling to find revenue growth to match these expenses. Three approaches to consider:
Look to grant funding. It is not ongoing and is not part of the budget process.
Consider asking the legislature to amend the Community Preservation Act to make art an additional permissible use for CPA funds.
Determine the number of restaurant patrons who dine in conjunction with attending an art-related event and use that information to advocate for a portion of meals tax revenue for the arts.
Jennifer Taub
In addition to enthusiastically supporting the Percent for Art program, the budget should also include funding for performing arts and other cultural events that are provided free of charge to all residents. As part of implementing the Community Safety and Working Group's recommendations, the Town's budget should include funding for the new multicultural center, which will also provide a public space for a wide range of visual and performing arts.
How can the Town of Amherst promote cultural tourism and better partner with existing cultural institutions? How can it help foster new ones?
Shalini Bahi-Milne
1. Have a special page on the town's website dedicated to the arts and cultural activities and venues and it needs to be dominantly displayed on the home page.
2. Create cultural trails in South Amherst that would connect the Yiddish book center, Eric Carle's museum, the Hitchcock center, and Atkins.
3. Have clear signage pointing to the arts and cultural points of interest in town.
4. Once the performance shell is completed, we can invite the Fine arts center to offer programs downtown.
5. Work with local developers, Amherst Affordable Housing Trust, and the cultural council to create Live/Work spaces that are affordable for artists.
Lynn Griesemer
The BID, Senator Comerford and Representative Domb recently hosted a meeting of the cultural/arts organizations of Amherst with the Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council. I participated in this event and applaud the work of our many cultural organizations for how they have managed throughout the Pandemic. It is my understanding that they are now talking about formalizing a regular meeting of the various arts and cultural organizations in Amherst so that there is a place for ongoing conversation about collaboration among the arts organizations. I have been following this development and am encouraged by the possibilities. It is my hope that this group will grow and welcome new members.
In addition, the creation of a vibrant downtown with a renovated plaza on the North Common, the potential performance shell on the South Common, and the development of the former High Horse space as a performance venue creates an opportunity for multiple indoor and outdoor venues for performances in the downtown. These are all supported by the Town with both grant and Town funds as well as private donations.
[As for fostering new ones,] the Town Council has already voted to significantly renovate the North Common; they will be engaging in the process for hopeful approval of the performance shell on the South Common; and work regularly with the BID and Chamber as they promote Amherst as a destination for arts and culture.
Mandi Jo Hanneke
Much of what the Town can do to promote cultural tourism and better partner with existing cultural institutions is not within the purview of the Town Council. The Council can, however, encourage the Manager to collaborate with the BID and Chamber to promote the Town, advertise Amherst’s institutions, and apply for grants to help with the efforts.
Anika Lopes
Amherst's leadership in arts and culture can be enhanced by shining an innovative and interactive light on lesser known history of Amherst's African American and Native American history. With added variety within marketing to capture the widest possible audiences. The Apple TV series Dickinson is a great example of looking at our history through a modernized and inclusive lens that appeals to all ages.
Dorothy Pam
Amherst should use old and new technology to publicize all local art events. Not having children in the High School, I find it almost impossible every year to find out what the show is and when it will be performed for the public. The Town should play a role in helping plan twice a year Arts Festivals and in setting up shows and competitions. What about a one-act play competition where selected plays are given full performances and the audience votes for local “oscars.”
The same should be done for dance troupes. The Town Website should have a large and lively section dedicated to live performance of music, dance, and theatre pieces.
Evan Ross
See above answer regarding outdoor performing arts venue, infrastructure to support arts tourism, and a BIPOC-led multicultural center for ways to better promote cultural tourism. In addition, we must finally hire an Economic Development Director (EDD) and include the creative economy as a part of their job. An EDD can help build and strengthen partnerships with cultural institutions, grant-giving bodies, and the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism to better promote Amherst as an arts destination. Having a staff member who has the creative economy as part of their job description will be key.
George Ryan
Hire an Economic Development Director whose portfolio would include promotion of cultural tourism and outreach to existing cultural institutions -- the arts are an economic driver and at the moment the town has no one whose job is economic development; it does not seem to be a priority for the Town Manager
Andy Steinberg
The Town partners with the Chamber of Commerce and Business improvement district to promote tourism. Cultural tourism is already a core part of the promotion. The university and colleges also bring people to the region and do their own promotions to visit their campuses. Outreach to these institutions so that they include information about art in the community, not just on their campuses, might expand this effort.
Jennifer Taub
The Town of Amherst should prioritize promotion of cultural tourism. Supporting public art is a sound investment in the future of our community.
The Pioneer Valley has an incredibly rich and varied arts scene. Per capita, Amherst boasts an enormous number of writers, illustrators, musicians, artists and performers. We should partner with as many cultural institutions and performance venues as we possibly can to bring visitors to Amherst. With our student population alone, Amherst should absolutely be a magnet for musicians and other artists to perform.
When the Emily Dickinson Museum completes its renovation and restoration, that will be a wonderful opportunity for an “opening” event and gala – perhaps with a year-long national and international promotion of Emily Dickinson’s home having been faithfully restored to its original appearance. The grand opening of the new Jones Library will also be an opportunity to promote cultural institutions in Amherst and welcome visitors from far and wide.