State Sen. Paul Mark of the Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire District held the inaugural Western Mass Arts Economic Impact Summit at MASS MoCA in North Adams last week to connect local arts stakeholders with top state leaders. Mark said that amid sweeping federal cuts to the arts, it was important for the commonwealth’s leadership to show solidarity with a region desperate to avoid losing income, jobs and tourism draws.
“I think it's our third-biggest industry, definitely statewide,” he said. “It might even creep into second in Berkshire County and beyond. So, it's a big jobs sector, it's a big draw for people coming in from out of the region and out of the state — it's extremely important. And this is a moment where the arts are under attack. Not only have we lost a partner federally, but the arts are under attack in terms of funding and in terms of their freedom of expression from the federal government.”
The arts have offered communities in Western Massachusetts a rare chance to fill the void left by the decline of the manufacturing industry by the end of the 20th century, attracting thousands of tourists and millions of dollars to a region in desperate need of jobs and income.
Several political heavyweights attended the summit, including Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Senate President Karen Spilka, to meet with representatives of the Western Mass. arts scene and hear about their struggles.
One of the most concrete policy points Mark stressed was the importance of increasing funding for state entities such as the Mass Cultural Council and Mass Humanities, as well as expanding other avenues for the arts sector to receive support in the next state budget.
“We're facing so many cuts and losses of revenue from the federal level, and everything is under attack, and so anywhere we can invest that is going to pay dividends, I think, is extremely important,” Mark said. “And this is a place — especially for Western Massachusetts — where a relatively small investment out of a $61 billion budget is going to pay back in a major way.”
Mark’s concerns during the second Trump administration aren’t just about money for the arts, but about free speech more broadly.
“The Senate just passed this bill about book bans at libraries,” he said. “I think it's important that the Legislature and the governor also consider this is happening. It’s happening more and more. The arts and the cultural sector are definitely a direct target of the Trump administration, and it's important that we fight back against violations of the First Amendment. It's important that we fight back against censorship — and that's true whether you're a Democrat, Republican, liberal or conservative. Protecting the freedom and integrity of expression is so essential to a democracy.”
Mark, who chairs the Massachusetts Senate’s Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, said there’s a lot on the line if Western Mass. can’t keep cultural institutions operating, and he fears a domino effect if the situation worsens.
“If there aren't grants available, if there aren't avenues to work together with state agencies to learn how to be sustainable and how to be profitable into the future, then you're talking about potentially venues closing,” Mark said. “And when people come here and they visit — whether it's for a work assignment or just for a trip — inevitably they realize they really like it here. It's beautiful here. While we think it's getting unaffordable, it's certainly more affordable than many places people are coming from. And we need some growth here. We need steady growth in the Berkshires if we want to have our voice heard in the future. So, if we're not able to have the tools we need, it's going to have an impact on our local economy. And there's always a multiplier effect from that in terms of our population stability, and that hurts schools, it hurts transportation options, it hurts local businesses.”
The Massachusetts budget process for fiscal year 2027 — during which Mark hopes to use the summit’s momentum to increase, or at least maintain, arts and culture funding — will begin in January.
