Newburyport Arts Organizations Need Direct City Funding

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Shakespeare wrote, “If music be the food of life, play on.” Arts—music, dance, theatre, and visual arts—are vital in Newburyport. After 10 years here, it’s clear: city government falls short in supporting the arts, limiting cultural vibrancy, economic benefits, and personal enrichment.

One of Newburyport’s key branding claims is its status as an artist community. The city’s website touts a “dynamic community of artists, award-winning writers, performers, and craftsmen and women, listing thirteen art galleries, four museums, four theaters, four cultural centers, and twelve performance spaces. This is off the webpage listed as “Office of Arts, Tourism and Cultural Affairs.” No other pertinent information, activities, or functions, and no staff, program details, or history of proactive support, financial or otherwise. Does this office exist in name only?

Let’s look at the numbers. Only two, the Custom House Maritime Museum and the Museum of Old Newbury, can be classified as museums. Only Maudsley Arts Center and Firehouse Center for the Performing Arts are true cultural centers, not the Screening Room or the venues counted as cultural resources. Churches and bookstores — though valuable community venues — are not arts spaces. Research across multiple platforms: I could only find 11 galleries, including the Art Association. The numbers are flagrantly exaggerated.

A designated area of downtown Newburyport was designated a Massachusetts cultural district in 2013. However, there is no direct city funding for the district, despite its promotional presence in the city’s public profile and marketing communications. Most citizens likely aren’t even aware of this designation or the city’s actual or lack thereof, financial involvement.

Newburyport provides no direct or indirect funding for arts groups or events. In comparison, after-school athletic funding reached $300,000 this year, which is a 57.1% increase from last year’s allocation. Meanwhile, the Mass Cultural Council’s regrant program provides less than $10,000 annually to local arts. No comparable public support exists for after-school arts or cultural programs. If any figures are inaccurate, please clarify in the comments.

The Public Art Committee operates without any financial assistance or budget and cannot fundraise for individual projects. All enhancements to public spaces, particularly the Clipper City Rail Trail, have depended solely on private grants and foundations. Recently, the Committee accepted and recommended a three-sculpture gift to the city with Council approval; it remains unresolved whether the city will fund the relocation and installation at Garrison Gardens or if the burden would fall on the family donating the pieces.

Here are suggested steps that require immediate review and consideration:

*Establish a comprehensive city website listing all arts venues, activities, and events. Current sources like Newburyport Arts Collective, the Chamber of Commerce, and Newburyport.com, although helpful and welcomed, are scattered and incomplete.

*Immediately dedicate 3% of the Curtis Fund ($7,500)—less than $.50 per resident—to arts and culture. This step could nearly double current arts funding overnight. Assign administration to the Cultural Council, Arts Collective, or another qualified group. The annual fund’s first year will support the Rec Center ($200,000), with plans to increase to $250,000 in the following years. Private discussions have considered allocating future funds to public projects unrelated to the arts, past the current commitment allowed by the Curtis Fund.  

*Establish a student ticket subsidy program for arts events, funded by the Curtis Fund or city resources. I would recommend an additional $5,000 from the Curtis Fund, bringing the total to $12,500 in direct and indirect city funding where none currently exists.

*Accelerate visual branding in the Cultural District by deploying an interactive kiosk prominently listing all arts organizations and events, and prominently displayed within the District. After the upfront investment, ongoing costs are minimal. It could drive greater business in the district, including from visitors outside the immediate community. Grant funding should be explored that wouldn’t directly impact the city’s finances.

*Create a clear, printed or digital map of public art locations across the city. This tool will also powerfully advocate for tourism. Funding should be jointly provided by the Chamber of Commerce and the City.

*Hold an open town hall meeting with city leadership now. Welcome community input to set goals, guarantee transparency with recommended actions for City Council review and vote.

*Put a ballet initiative on the 2027 ballot—let voters decide on direct city funding for these or additional arts measures.

These proposals are concrete and achievable. I urge the Mayor and City Council to act now by allocating specific funding and prioritizing these initiatives in the next annual budget.

Now is the time to invest in the arts—let’s commit openly and without delay. Beyond economic benefits, arts and cultural events raise Newburyport’s national profile. Each year, the city’s literary and film festivals attract talent and visitors from across the nation, further enhancing our artistic reputation. This year, let’s unite and secure arts funding as a defining part of our civic legacy—contact local officials, advocate at meetings, and encourage others to speak out with us.

I adamantly believe, as do many others, that the arts provide society with a sense of wellbeing and enjoyment, as well as a spirit of community. While intangible and elusive art is no panacea for our social problems and economic concerns, it is powerful enough to bolster our common humanity and nurture our faith in our ability to achieve a future of spiritual and material fulfillment. Without art’s creative impulse, no society – and no business within it – can long flourish and achieve greatness. Good art is good business. Good art is good citizenship. Whatever sequence we employ is immaterial.

Peter Carzasty
Newburyport resident

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