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Editorial writer Russell Cooke will be on the blog at 12:30 Oct. 25 to answer reader questions about the region's rich arts and culture scene.
Read his story "Protect region’s rich culture with stable, assured funding" in today's Inquirer along with his "Ideas from elsewhere."
Leave your questions in the comments area, and Russell will respond.
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Great Expectations is a civic engagement project brought to you by The Inquirer and the University of Pennsylvania. Check out the Great Expectations Web site.
Chris Satullo is an Inquirer columnist and former editor of The Inquirer's Editorial Page. He was a founder of the Great Expectations project, which focuses on civic engagement and the issues in Philadelphia's 2007 mayoral race.
Tom Ferrick, a former Inquirer reporter, worked on the Great Expectations project throughout 2007 and into 2008.Other members of the Editorial Board will be weighing in on the blog, as will Harris Sokoloff and Jodie Chester Lowe, members of the Great Expectations team.
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on October 25, 2007 11:23 AM.
The previous post in this blog was Civics: “Carpe Diem” – Seize the Day.
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Comments (7)
Questions, questions ...
So what is it about places like Denver, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, NC and others that have dedicated funding for arts and culture? Something in the water? What do they have that Philadlephia doesn't have - or hasn't found yet?
How can this region build concensus around such an initiative?
Or maybe more people than not think it's a lousy idea to use our scarce tax dollars for those artsy types ...
Posted by Russell Cooke | October 25, 2007 12:39 PM
Posted on October 25, 2007 12:39
What's the first step the next mayor would need to take in order to build the type of regional coalition you're talking about. Are the forces that opposed it previously still in place or is there room for movement?
Thanks.
Posted by Anonymous | October 25, 2007 12:49 PM
Posted on October 25, 2007 12:49
I think part of the problem is that in our everyday lives, issues like stopping the violence and getting better city services come to mind as things that must be addressed now, with arts/culture taking a back seat as things that aren't necessarily broken. You make a good case that arts/culture are a major economic factor for the city. How does the next mayor better get the message across that we need to pay attention to sustainability?
Posted by Anonymous | October 25, 2007 12:53 PM
Posted on October 25, 2007 12:53
Probably the first step: Michael Nutter's proposal to convene regular regional contacts with his counterparts on the suburban county commissions (and the county council in Delco.)He hasn't committed to making an arts fund the key issue around which the region should organize but, as I say in the commentary article, why not that one? There's a great deal of goodwill and shared interest around arts and culture.
Posted by Russell Cooke | October 25, 2007 12:55 PM
Posted on October 25, 2007 12:55
No question, safety and public services will always be the priority for elected officials. But a mayor gets 24 hours in each day (OK, he can sleep some ... ) and he has to be able to think beyond the crisis of the moment. A big city and a big region gets to think big thoughts - in particular, ones that concern economic development. So maybe the best case for the arts is that they're a proven winner, in economic terms. And there's really no dispute that they are a vital part of what makes a metro area stand out.
Posted by Russell Cooke | October 25, 2007 12:59 PM
Posted on October 25, 2007 12:59
Thanks for your comments. See you in the paper.
Posted by Russell Cooke | October 25, 2007 1:26 PM
Posted on October 25, 2007 13:26
Russ: did you grow up in Parsippany? If so, Jesse, aka, Kathy M wants to contact you.
Posted by Jesse | January 7, 2008 7:50 PM
Posted on January 7, 2008 19:50