After Democratic candidate Michael Nutter attended the Greater Philadephia Cultural Alliance's annual meeting, he kept the arts theme going. He spoke to an overflow crowd at Inter-Act Theatre Company, which convened a group to discuss the challenges facing Philadelphia in the next 20 years.
InterAct is celebrating its 20th year, and to celebrate the next 20 the company is commissioning four new plays, which will continue InterAct's emphasis on social issues. I moderated the panel (and that was a very cool invitation, and a thoroughly enjoyable experience, so thank you, InterAct).
On it was Nutter, Mural Arts powerhouse Jane Golden, Philadelphia Foundation president Andrew Swinney, Inquirer editor Bill Marimow and Dr. Salman Akhtar, noted professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College, and frequent analyst (and I do mean analyst) of the psychiatric messages in InterAct plays.
Now, this blog is about the mayor's race, and we are focused on the arts right now, so let me tell you first what Nutter said about arts (it's based on his arts plan):
He supports the re-creation of the city's Office of Arts and Culture.
He supports increasing city funding of arts and cultural institutions.
He supports additional support for businesses related to arts culture throughout the region, such as tax breaks on the Business Privilege Tax in the city and on property tax in the suburbs.
Oh, and he rapped the beginning of "Rapper's Delight" when asked if he felt hip-hop culture encouraged violence. (He wasn't bad. He didn't force it, so imagine The Sugarhill Gang in Nutter's voice, but it was smooth and clearly often rehearsed.) Nutter didn't blame hip-hop for the city's troubles, but he did say that violent visual images in videos and video games probably didn't help.
But the conversation was far more wide-ranging than just the arts, dwelling instead on what this generation of Philadelphians will leave to the following generations, and expressing a real concern that young people in the city are being abandoned.
The most meaningful part of the program for me was when, prompted by an audience member's question, both Dr. Akhtar and Andrew Swinney made the passionate point that young people had no hope. Therefore, they often give in to fleeting desires, because it was the only substitute for real hope they had. Then Jane Golden drew the connection between real hope and real opportunity -- that is, jobs.
It really is all about the jobs.