Arts Council Update from Mayor Wilson 

First off, I owe you an apology. The way news of the Somerville Arts Council reorganization became public was not how I intended for it to happen. You deserved to hear this from me first, with full explanation, and you didn't. I'm sorry for the alarm that caused, and I want to set the record straight: we are not pulling back from the arts. We are doubling down. 

Here’s our plan, and why we believe it will strengthen the already world-class arts community in Somerville.   

We are elevating the arts inside City Hall.  

Starting in the next budget cycle, we’ll look to hire a new, cabinet-level leader as part of a Citywide reorganization. This is in addition to the next Arts Council Director. This new  role will head up a new Culture & Community Department overseeing Arts, Parks and Recreation, and Libraries, and finding artistic and cultural opportunities to activate these spaces and functions through a creative lens.  

For the first time, arts and culture will have a seat at the cabinet level -- the same level as Infrastructure, Public Health, and Strategic Planning. This isn't symbolic. It means someone grounded in the arts is in the room when key decisions get made. 

The Arts Council will continue to have its own dedicated director who will build upon the Council’s core mission: cultivating and celebrating the artistic expressions of the Somerville community. This means continuing to invest in artists and makers, countering displacement through strategic policy and initiatives, and connecting the arts to every corner of our city -- including building on efforts to reach people and places that have historically been underserved. In short, we intend to propel forward the extraordinary work the Arts Council has historically done, and offer more support, resources, access, and structure.  

The goal is simple: more collaboration, more reach, even more innovation, and more access to the arts for every resident across our diverse City. 

We are conducting two open, transparent searches for new leadership.  

Both of the searches, for the new Culture & Community Cabinet Executive Director and the Arts Council Director, will be transparent, fair, and thorough, and are engaging the Somerville Arts Council Board, with the goal of delivering world-class leadership at the helm of our artistic institutions.   

We are investing in the Arts Council staff.  

The people currently doing this work are powerhouses. They have creative vision and operational skill, and they have helped make Somerville not just a hub for the arts but a wellspring of creativity. We will provide the support they need going forward.  We will bring on temporary support between now and the summer as we hire the new leadership roles and undergo this transition.  

I also want to extend a huge thanks to Greg Jenkins for his 25 years of dedicated service to the Somerville Arts, and an indelible contribution to the city’s identity and economy.  

We are building on the core mission. 

We will continue to build arts infrastructure, working with the vibrant arts groups, organizations, and businesses that are the foundation of our city’s cultural economic ecosystem. We also intend to move full steam ahead supporting innovative initiatives like Nibble, SomArt performance programming at the Hive, and the Intercambio language and cultural exchange. It is the daily work, commitment, dedication, and organizing of local artists that drive our cultural and creative impact. In addition to recognizing and supporting the arts, now it’s time to pursue the priorities identified through the Cultural Trust, Creative Displacement Committee and other community-driven reports and research. 

We are protecting and growing the events that make Somerville, Somerville.  

ArtBeat. PorchFest. SomerStreets festivals. These events are expressions of who we are. They also serve as economic engines for our city. In addition to the two leadership roles working in deep alignment, we are looking to strengthen the existing Events role to allow its full focus on activating our city with festivals, activities, and more so that our events can sustain, grow, and, in true Somerville style, celebrate the weird. And PorchFest will be back as strong as ever, and with more porta-johns.  

Beyond the festivals, we want to activate more of our public spaces, open up underused buildings, and bring more art into the streets, parks, and neighborhoods where people already are.  

We are fully committed to the work ahead. 

The Somerville arts community is an exceptional economic and cultural force. Our job is to earn your trust by deepening that commitment to making this city a place where the arts don't just survive but grow.  

The Somerville arts community is bigger than any institution -- it is all of us, together. Our City government will keep the arts at the forefront of all that we do, and keep investing in the makers, musicians, dancers, poets, chefs, and artists representing all artistic genres – as well as supporters who make our arts community what it is.  We are going to continue to invest in existing priorities identified through the Cultural Trust and other community-driven reports and research. 

Hearing from so many of you over the last week reinforced how grateful I am to live in this place where people care and want to contribute their time, effort, energy and brilliance to making Somerville a place where art thrives.  

More to come, and my door, as always, is open.  

—  Mayor Jake Wilson