View From Prospect Hill August 24

    The Somerville Arts Council has resurrected Union Square from its urban graveyard. Their summer-long initiative – ArtsUnion – has imported cultural excitement and economic activity to the long neglected gem of a square.
     ArtsUnion is a truly innovative approach to making Union Square a destination point and a viable economic center. Its goal is to boost economic activity in the square by attracting people there through the arts.

      Thus far, ArtsUnion has been a model for urban event success – it has celebrated diverse sections of the community while accepting and embracing everyone. There has been a multimedia hip hop festival celebrating the true yes-yessence of hip hop, a Northeastern Brazilian music festival and a screening of an old silent Russian film (Man with a Movie Camera) accompanied by a live orchestra.
      Each event has attracted hundreds of people. Each event has been greeted with nothing but success. And each event demonstrated the importance of art to the dynamic success of this city.
      Alderman At Large William A. White pointed out the relevance of these festivals at this year’s ArtBeat when he praised the work of the Arts Council.
     White said many other communities have town days, but Somerville being the dynamic community it is was able to put on more than that – it could draw on its art community to organize an event such as ArtBeat, which brought over 8,000 people to Davis Square July 14 and 15.
      Around town, you will hear that Somerville has the second most artists per capita in the country behind only New York City. So it is a welcome sight to see Arts Council staffers Rachel Strutt and Greg Jenkins using this resource to improve the city for all its residents.
      Somerville must draw on its internal resources during an era when Mitt Romney is making an enemy of anyone with a 02143, 02144 or 02145 zip code. And as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has proven for years, Somerville can not afford to wait for the great Green Line extension to come down from the sky and solve Union Square’s problems.
       Strangely, the city’s most reliable resource for economic development may be its art community. After all, ArtsUnion has already helped revitalize Union Square into more than just an on ramp to Route 93.