BARNSTABLE – The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has announced a new initiative to raise awareness on a number of community issues in the Town of Barnstable ahead of their Town Council elections this November.
The nonpartisan program, Create the Vote, will seek to raise awareness of the ways that arts and culture improve Barnstable’s schools, strengthen its local business districts, and build vibrant neighborhoods where people want to live work and play.
“There is no better time to talk about the challenges our community faces and how we can meet them than during an election campaign,” said Julie Wake, Executive Director of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod.
She continued, “We usually hear a lot from candidates about jobs, education, and public safety. Typically very little is said about arts and culture even though they are so important to the education of our students and the overall health of our community.”
As part of the campaign, the Arts Foundation will present candidates with a questionnaire about the arts and share their answers.
Create the Vote is part of a statewide program organized by MASSCreative, an arts advocacy group, in partnership with local cultural councils, to raise local awareness about the impact of creative expression and the arts in communities around the state.
“We fell that town councilors make a lot of big decisions for us in our seven villages and we would really love to make sure that art and culture are at the table as we make some changes in our community” said Wake.
A recent analysis by the National League of Cities, shows that elected community leaders across the country view arts and culture as an important economic driver worthy of investment.
By David Beatty, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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