Rosenbaum receives NASAA award

RANDALL ROSENBAUM, executive director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, was recently named the recipient of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ 2016 Gary Young Award. The award recognizes an executive director who has made an extraordinary contribution to public support for the arts.

Why is it important for R.I. artists and art organizations to maintain a relationship with local government institutions?

The arts pay big dividends to local communities. A vibrant art scene is great for the economy – look at Providence, Pawtucket or Warren, for example. The arts add excitement and energy to community life, and make communities a “destination” for visitors. Local governments benefit from closely working with their arts community in ways that capitalize on these strengths. We’re seeing some communities do this well. In Bristol, for example, the town council is strongly supporting efforts by local artists and Roger Williams University to restore a number of buildings on the town common for arts uses. This level of cooperation benefits all.

You established a gallery in R.I.’s main administrative building at One Capitol Hill in Providence that focuses on the state’s cultural diversity, and features work from artists with disabilities, incarcerated prisoners and after-school art programs. Why is diverse representation important in art and beyond?

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Art doesn’t exist for just one segment of the community. Culture is the basis for everyone, whether they came to Rhode Island from western Europe or from Africa, Asia or the Americas. These diverse cultures make Rhode Island an exciting place to live and work. We wanted to showcase this work in our state’s main administration building – first, to enliven a building that many view as a symbol of state government, and second to show that R.I. is the sum of its parts, and the arts are a reflection of those parts. It’s been an exciting journey.

What steps can R.I. take to increase support for local artists?

Buy local art, buy the work of Rhode Island artists. The General Assembly took the bold step of exempting the sale of art from state sales tax. Properly promoted, this can bring lots of revenue to Rhode Island, for an arts-buying visitor tends to stay longer and spend more money. •

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