Mayor's Arts Task Force

Final Report of the Mayor's Arts Task Force

The Mayor’s Arts Task Force was a special advisory committee comprised of city staff, local community leaders, and members of the artist community, and chaired by Councillor Alanna Mallon. Members provided guidance on:

Policies the City can pursue that will continue to foster and promote arts that are reflective of the diverse communities that live in Cambridge
Ensuring a robust funding source for our arts community using both city resources, and the resources of local companies
Collaboration between the City, the Central Square Business Association, and local artists to strengthen Central Square as an Arts and Cultural District

Check out a video on the Mayor's Arts Task Force here: https://vimeo.com/313686238

NEW VIDEO: Special thanks to our partners at Loop Lab for pulling together this latest video on the work of the Mayor's Arts Task Force. Check it out here: https://vimeo.com/332090663

Members of the Mayors Arts Task Force

List of Members/Member Affiliations

Councillor Alanna Mallon, Chair
Mayor Marc C. McGovern
Jason Weeks, Executive Director of the Arts Council.
Representative from the City Manager’s Office
Representative from the Community Development Department
Representative from the Office of Budget and Finance
Afiyah Harrigan, Mayor’s Office
Olufolakemi Alalade, working visual artist as a member of MatriArts, a museum shop curated to promote African women’s arts and materials
Olivia D’Ambrosio, Director of the Bridge Repertory Theater
David DeCelis, architect and Public Arts Commission
Peter DiMuro, Executive Director of the Dance Complex
Sarah Gallop, Government Relations at MIT
Eryn Johnson, Executive director of the Community Arts Center
Christopher Hope, Founder of The Loop Lab
Kristina Latino, CEO of Cornerscape and music festival organizer
Martha McKenna, Director of the Creative Commons at Lesley University
Michael Monestime, Executive Director of the Central Square Business Association
Jero Nesson, Brickbottom Gallery
James Pierre, muralist and manager of the Community Arts Center’s Public Art Program
Geeta Pradhan, Cambridge Community Foundation
Ellen Shakespear, Co-founder of Spaceus, an arts space rehab
Kelly Sherman, working visual artist and innovation consultant
Ben Simon, EMF musician

This group includes working artists in the disciplines of dance, music, music production, theater, and visual arts, as well as specialists in developing arts spaces like studios and housing. Members will bring their expertise to help solve some of the most pressing issues facing working artists in Cambridge: lack of affordable creative space, sustainable funding, and strengthening Central Square as an Arts and Cultural District. The group is also representative of the diverse communities we have here in Cambridge.