Creative Minds Out Loud

Episode 60: Gateway Cities & Creative Placemaking

Benjamin Forman, Director of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute at MassINC, says residential property values are higher in communities that have more arts and culture. He says municipal leaders should take stock of that when considering modest public investments in strategies such as Cultural Districts and the economic returns that they yield.

Ben Forman Benjamin Forman has served as MassINC’s research director since 2010. Prior to joining MassINC, he oversaw strategic planning for the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation. He also has experience as a researcher at the Brookings Institution and as a research assistant at Nathan Associates, a global economic development consulting firm.
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Episode 59: Listen, Present, and Repeat

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David C. Howse, Executive Director of ArtsEmerson, shares how ‘curatorial listening’ leads to better community partnerships in developing programming and initiatives. He also discusses the benefits afforded institutions that shift their imagination in ways that allow them to see the world and ultimately benefit from the world in a much more magical way.

David Howse. Photo by Asia Kepka. David C. Howse joined ArtsEmerson as executive director in 2015 and is fiscally and administratively responsible for multiple cultural venues in Downtown Boston. Prior he served as executive director of Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC), where he was instrumental in helping grow BCC from a pilot project serving 20 kids in 2003 to a vibrant organization educating more than 500 singers in 12 choirs in 5 locations.
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Episode 58: Removing Barriers for Theatregoers

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Meg O’Brien, Interim Co-Director of Education at Huntington Theatre Company, discusses their long-standing commitment to universal participation. She shares how the Huntington makes productions accessible for patrons with hearing or vision difficulties, and how they’re expanding ways to integrate accessibility into performance models and schedules.

Meg O'Brien Meg O’Brien is in her 10th season at the Huntington Theatre Company, currently serving as one of two Interim Co-Directors of Education. She has also served as the Manager of Education Operations & Access Coordinator at the Huntington Theatre Company. Meg is an actor, dancer, singer, director, producer, and stage manager; however, her passion lives with Theatre Education, which she quickly fell in love with when she was in college. For the past 15 years, Meg has made her living teaching students of all ages about the world of the theater. Continue reading “Episode 58: Removing Barriers for Theatregoers”

Episode 57: Mounting a Comeback for Edith Wharton’s Legacy

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Susan Wissler, Executive Director of The Mount, shares her experience of bringing an organization back from the precipice, and how retiring its $9M debt helped its community rethink what a historic home can be.

Susan Wissler joined The Mount in 2001 as Vice President and became Executive Director in 2008. Ms. Wissler graduated from Brown University, received a J.D. from Columbia University, and, prior to joining The Mount, practiced law in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Highlights of Ms. Wissler’s sixteen years at The Mount include the return of Wharton’s books to the library, the retirement of The Mount’s debt, and most recently, welcoming over 50,000 visitors to the property in 2017.
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Episode 56: Reconnecting to America and What It Stands For

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Revolution 250 is a consortium of organizations working together to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of the events that led to American Revolution. Over the coming 10 years, they will explore the history of the American Revolution and the ways that this remarkable story still resonates today.

Last fall, we spoke with Reverend Steve Ayres, Vicar of the Old North Church, about Revolution 250, the challenges of stewarding historic sites, and the long-term benefits of knowing our history and where we’ve come from.

Revolution 250 hopes to convince civic leadership of the value of this major milestone as a way to renew not only our commitment to the nation and its ideals, but to refresh one of the most essential brand identities of the Commonwealth and Boston – birthplace of the American Revolution.

Reverend Steve Ayers The Rev. Stephen T. Ayres has served as Vicar of the Old North Church since 1997 and as Executive Director of the Old North Foundation since 2012. Vicar Ayres was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1980 and has served parishes in Missouri, New York, and Massachusetts. He has an undergraduate degree in Comparative Religion from Hamilton College, an M.Div. from the Episcopal Divinity School, and an MA in Urban Policy from Tufts University. Continue reading “Episode 56: Reconnecting to America and What It Stands For”