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PHILADELPHIA : The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia today announced they will jointly host a mayoral forum on arts and culture issues. The April 15th forum, done in partnership with the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and Dance/Philadelphia, will run from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM at the Academy of Natural Scienceson the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Doors open at 1:30 PM.
“We are very excited to co-host a mayoral forum with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance,” said Karen B. Davis, the president & CEO of the Arts & Business Council. “The impact of the arts goes far beyond quality of life issues. It makes us a better, richer city and the next mayor should build on the progress we have made over the last 15 years in growing and supporting the arts.”
As a recent RAND report commissioned by the Cultural Alliance and the William Penn Foundation, “Arts and Culture in the Metropolis” found, Philadelphia has a dynamic local arts sector with a proven ability to attract visitors and residents to the city. Additionally, there is evidence that cities that thrive are actively utilizing their cultural sectors in tackling broader civic issues, and those same cities support their arts and cultural sector accordingly to accomplish these goals.
The cultural sector provides Philadelphia with 14,000 jobs and $562 million in direct spending and is the number one reason that Philadelphia is an “excellent” place to live according to a recent Keystone poll, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the city. Neighborhoods with an active arts scene are nearly three times more likely to see their poverty rates decline and their populations increase than other neighborhoods.
“The next mayor has the opportunity to build on the arts and cultural legacies of the last two mayors, Ed Rendell and John Street,” said Peggy Amsterdam, president of the Cultural Alliance. “Whether it is Mayor Rendell’s creation of the Avenue of the Arts or Mayor Street’s announcement of unprecedented funding for the arts through bonds, the next mayor will have big shoes to fill. Supporters of the arts should carefully review the policies and proposals of the candidates.”
The “It’s About the Arts!” forum will be moderated by Steve Highsmith, a political reporter at NBC10 and myphl17's Director of Community Relations. Other panelists will include Lorene Cary, Executive Director of Art Sanctuary and author, Dr. Happy Fernandez, president of the Moore College of Art & Design and Steve Wray, Executive Director of the Economy League.
Seating is limited for this event. To attend the forum, please register online at www.philaculture.org/forum .
For more information on the elections and the arts please visit www.philaculture.org
CONTACT:
John McInerney
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
(215) 557-7811, ext. 15
johnm@philaculture.org
Virginia Maroun
Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia
(215) 790-3674
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