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Mayor Extols Value of Creative EconomyBy Jen Thomas - November 29, 2007
 | | Mayor John Barrett III addresses delegations from the eastern part of the state at Mass MoCA on Wednesday. |
NORTH ADAMS - The key to supporting the creative economy is strong governmental leadership and even stronger community-building skills, according to Mayor John Barrett III.
Addressing three delegations of eastern Massachusetts politicians at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts on Wednesday, Barrett outlined the city's journey from a blue-collar industrial town to the paragon of the thriving cultural economy.
"When Sprague left, we were stuck with 28 empty buildings in our downtown. We had to change the direction of our economy. It wasn't manufacturing anymore," said Barrett to politicians and creative economy members from Brockton, New Bedford and the Merrimack Valley who met with the mayor as a stop on their tour of Pittsfield and North Adams.
"I had to sell this to my community," he added.
Barrett recounted the difficulties of convincing city residents in the late 1980s that an arts-driven economy was going to save the city from its fiscal woes. Citing a dedication to facilitating change and a willingness to try new and innovative techniques, Barrett offered his perspective on how the creative economy had transformed the city.
At the forefront of that movement was Mass MoCA, which was the catalyst for other arts programs and organizations' moving to the area.
"When I was approached about the idea of a contemporary arts museum, I thought it was just another crackpot idea on how we're going to save the economy. I had no idea what contemporary art was but that museum evolved into a lot of things," he said.
In the 14 years it took to revitalize the former Sprague complex and convert it into a world-class museum, Barrett committed himself to working on improving other aspects of the city, including paving streets and planting flowers in the downtown.
"We wanted to change the image of North Adams. As part of building the creative economy, we felt as though we had to change our negative image - it's all about image. We needed to build a high self-esteem of ourselves which we didn't have before," said the mayor. "The people of North Adams not only accepted change; they embraced it."
According to Barrett, what really drove the success of the cultural renaissance in the city was the strong support of the government. Working in collaboration with former Gov. Michael Dukakis, Barrett spearheaded several initiatives to attract artists to the area, which formed a foundation for other economic growth. As more people were drawn to the city, more business sprung up and more housing was developed.
"So what is the creative economy to me? It's making sure there's something there for everyone, not just the artist community," said Barrett.
Fielding questions about arts education in schools and the number of jobs created by the creative economy, Barrett said the key to success is looking within individual municipalities for answers.
"Everyone is chasing business. What is it in your communities that will make businesses come to you?" he asked.
Helena Fruscio, the program director for the Berkshire Creative Economy Project and the delegations' tour guide, said that the mayor's speech was illuminating for the participants who were looking to implement some of his tactics in their own communities.
"The Berkshires truly are at the forefront of this creative field, this emerging creative economy, and this just shows how lucky we are to be leading the way," Fruscio said. "Other communities are looking to us for ideas and studying how we make collaborations work."
Though he was unsure how the creative economy would impact his hometown, Barrett said he's grateful local citizens have demonstrated so much faith in an idea that was completely new.
"I knew the creative economy would change North Adams but I didn't know how," he said. "The people came, they saw but they didn't conquer - they liked."
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