A New Yorker will head new Phila. arts & culture agency
Philadelphia shed its status as the biggest city in the country to lack a cultural affairs office yesterday, as Mayor Nutter issued an executive order creating the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.
Philadelphia shed its status as the biggest city in the country to lack a cultural affairs office yesterday, as Mayor Nutter issued an executive order creating the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.
Nutter also named Gary Steuer, a New Yorker with extensive experience in the world of non-profit cultural organizations, as the city's Chief Cultural Officer. Steuer will be a member of Nutter's cabinet and report directly to the mayor.
"We are very serious about arts and culture and the creative economy here in Philadelphia," said Nutter, who was given a standing ovation by the more than 200 members of the arts community that attended the announcement. "Art and culture are not just about pretty pictures and performances . . . it is also an economic development tool, a tremendous asset for the city."