V. Hank Rubin for Alderman 1990
"And I will work with artists and the arts community, not only because they deserve the kind of support and services that a civilized city should provide, but because they can contribute so much to all of our communities in terms of vitality, economic stability, and fun." - Hank Rubin from his campaign kickoff speech, 7/15/90
OVERVIEW
The arts are a vital part of Chicago's economic and cultural life and contribute to the unique and vibrant lifestyle of this City. In Chicago, the arts industry consists of theaters, dance companies, crafts and cultural centers, and thousands of groups and individual artists dealing in all imaginable media.
The economic impact of Chicago's cultural sector is in the hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Millions more people attend Chicago's theaters, musical events, and cultural programs each year than attend all major professional sporting events in the City combined.
Arts contribute measurably and powerfully to the life in our neighborhoods -- and serve as anchors for economic development -- by attracting consumers to neighborhood restaurants and stores before and after they have artistic activities.
Moreover, arts are a primary means by which Chicago's diverse ethnic groups celebrate and communicate their cultures and convey them to their children.
And arts, when incorporated into elementary and secondary education, are a proven way of helping children develop the central skills of creative thinking. Clearly, investing in Chicago arts' community is good business and good government.
HANK
RUBIN --
-- has already begun to encourage artists and the arts community to explore the rich and underused opportunities that present themselves in the 50th Ward. With the City's richest diversity of cultures and religions, with scores of artists owning and renting homes in the ward, and with virtually no commercial or nonprofit arts presence in the ward, Rubin has spearheaded the effort to save the old Nortown Theater and to reopen it as a cultural or performing arts center;
-- strongly supports the arts in Chicago and will work to increase the City's share of direct support for artists and arts groups (Chicago has lagged behind every other major city in terms of per capita direct grant support for the arts community. Chicago spends about $.43 per person in support of arts whereas cities like New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis support their arts community at a per capita rate of $8.26, $2.43, and $4.40 respectively.);
-- supports local and citywide initiatives which link arts development to economic development by stabilizing commercial centers and creating new jobs;
-- supports plans to keep the City's Cultural Center a home for multi-cultural exhibits and performances and add a mix of income producing uses;
-- will explore creative new approaches to establishing a city~-wide pool of financial support for Chicago's arts without affecting residential real estate taxes;
-- supports increased private and government funding for organizations such as Urban Gateways which place artists in Chicago's public schools for performances;
-- will propose the creation of a Bureau of Nonprofit Affairs within the City's Department of Economic Development to support the development and economic vitality of nonprofit enterprises in Chicago's neighborhoods.