Mass. Cultural Council honors Pittsfield

For the second time in the past two years, the Massachusetts Cultural Council has honored the role that the arts play in Pittsfield’s economic well-being.

In November, the city emerged as the winner of the cultural council’s first “Mayors Arts Challenge,” a competition in which 16 of the state’s mayors appeared in short videos to tout the importance of the arts in their community. Viewers were asked to indicate whether they liked or disliked each video; the top four vote-getters advanced to a final round, where an MCC panel picked Pittsfield’s presentation as the winner.

In January 2009, Pittsfield won the MCC’s “Creative Community” award.

Pittsfield’s three-minute video, “The Art of Revitalizing a City,” depicts Mayor James Ruberto sitting at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge in the city’s downtown, not far from the acclaimed Barrington Stage Company. He highlights the role of one artist who, early in the past decade, persuaded the owners of empty downtown buildings to allow artists to occupy street-level space for free.

“At the time, Pittsfield’s downtown was a graveyard,” Ruberto said in an interview. “There was no activity at all.”

Major employers such as General Electric and General Dynamics reported difficulty in recruiting people to work and live in the city.

Since then, General Dynamics has increased its workforce by about 400, according to Ruberto. Companies have an easier time recruiting people to the city than ever before, “thanks to the success we’ve had in celebrating the arts and culture in the community.”

Arts-related development, meanwhile, has created a potentially rich source of revenue. The city’s property-tax revenue is currently about $6 million below its full taxing authority, Ruberto said.

Pittsfield’s video and those of the 15 other entries can be viewed at www.massculturalcouncil.org.