This week on Open Studio, Jared Bowen talks to Gov. Maura Healey about her arts and culture agenda, plus her own passions when it comes to the arts. Then, former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith joins the show for National Poetry Month.
As a former professional basketball player, Gov. Maura Healey is a known sports fan, but her passion for the arts runs just as deep. Jared Bowen recently sat down with the governor to talk about her arts and culture agenda — from her 2024 budget plan, which includes a record $25 million invested in arts and culture, to her idea of a live theater tax credit as a way to attract more people and talent to Massachusetts. The governor also recognizes that the cost of housing is a huge concern for artists. She says one of the top goals of her administration is "to increase housing production around the state and lower costs."
Healey also sees an opportunity to showcase people who have not always been represented in the arts. She said, "One of the things that I'm looking to do as governor is to uplift and amplify voices, faces, stories, [and] artists who have not been as widely profiled."
Healey says she's hoping to be able to do some of this within the State House, from having artists' works on view to inviting artists into state agencies. "Imagine our roadways and bridges, think about the ways we can incorporate art into that."
When asked what her "go-to" is when she wants to experience the local arts and culture scene, Healey says she likes everything the state has to offer, from galleries, to open studios, to bookstores, to live theater and live music, "we have such a variety of music halls and concert venues around the state. There’s no shortage of things to take in."
From there, we continue to celebrate National Poetry Month with former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer prize-winner Tracy K. Smith. Her latest book, “Such Color” is a career-spanning collection of poetry. It’s a volume of work that both speaks to our tumultuous times and helps us to make sense of them.
Finally, we head to Columbus, Ohio by way of our PBS partner, WOSU, to meet artist Ron Anderson. Though he is an illustrator and painter, he primarily sees himself as a storyteller who creates narratives and characters that will pull the viewer in.
