Representative Falzone joined with more than a dozen Senators and Representatives from across the Commonwealth to create Massachusetts’ first Legislative Cultural Caucus. This caucus has been formed in order to harness the job-producing assets of Massachusetts’ $4 billion cultural sector and help the state’s economy recover from the recession.

Representative Falzone emphasized, “The cultural sector has always been a crucial part of our Commonwealth’s economy, and in these difficult economic times it is important that we find the best ways to support it. Tourism and the arts contribute greatly to our economy and our communities by providing jobs as well as supporting the overall quality of life of our citizens. As a member of the Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, I know that this Caucus is essential to the job-producing development of the cultural sector of our state’s economy.”

Recent data from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund shows that $37 million in state funding for building projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences have helped generate the following:

• 14.3 million new visitors to Massachusetts cultural venues, nearly a third from out of state.
• Nearly 8,000 full-time jobs and $417 million in collective wages and salaries.
• Jobs for more than 5,384 architects, engineers, contractors and construction workers.
• 1,163 new permanent jobs in Massachusetts.

“Cultural organizations are the foundation for tourism, the third largest industry in Massachusetts,” said Anita Walker, Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Executive Director. “Investments in this sector through the Massachusetts Cultural Council pay dividends to the state.”

The Caucus was created one day after Governor Deval Patrick proposed a state budget that would dedicate $9.4 million for arts and culture through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. That is roughly $300,000 less than the current fiscal year and less than half of cultural funding levels a decade ago. Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, Senate Co-Chair of the Cultural Caucus, stated, “The arts, humanities, and sciences are central to our economic vitality in Massachusetts. They also contribute significantly to the quality of our schools and the life of our communities. The Cultural Caucus will give us a chance to broaden and deepen support for this vital sector in the Legislature as we face continued budget challenges in the year ahead.”

Representative Smitty Pignatelli, House Co-Chair of the Cultural Caucus, added: “In my district, the arts are a major economic engine, as they are in the districts of Co-Chairs Chang-Díaz and Keenan. Together, we have made the case effectively that state support has helped fuel that engine to create jobs and revitalize communities. With state finances still tight, we need to redouble those efforts.”