On Tuesday, September 23, despite enjoying a trip to his ancestral Ireland, Mayor Walsh announced the appointment of Julie Burros as Boston’s Chief of Arts and Culture, a cabinet-level position. Burros fills a position that according to the City of Boston has been vacant for the past 20-years, essentially the entire tenure of Mayor Walsh’s predecessor Tom Menino, and brings a wealth of artistic expression to a city that’s been lit up by the surge of public art and civic innovation.
Burros was poached from Chicago, where she served as director of Cultural Planning for the Windy City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for the past 15 years. The Mayor’s Office notes that Burros will officially take up her new role in December of this year.
“I’ve said from day one that I want to elevate Boston’s arts and culture profile,” said Mayor Walsh in a statement. “During the campaign, I often heard about the need for the arts to be more integrated into the lives of residents and visitors. Julie will bring a fresh perspective and a strong foundation of expertise to envision Boston’s cultural future and execute a master plan for the arts.”
The commitment displayed by Mayor Walsh to public art throughout all of Boston’s neighborhoods has been extraordinary in his short time as the city’s chief executive. He’s encouraged Bostonians’ participation through friendly competitions, has begun down the long yet fruitful journey of beautifying the unsightly City Hall from the inside out, and he’s not excluded Boston’s outer-lying neighborhoods from taking part in art in lieu of those with denser populations.
“I am so thrilled to be joining Mayor Walsh’s team and look forward to putting all my experience to work for the people of Boston,” added Julie Burros in a statement. “Boston has great potential in the arts world, and this is a unique opportunity to examine all of Boston’s cultural assets and align them with Mayor Walsh’s vision to make arts and culture a key piece across all City departments.”
Burros was instrumental in creating Chicago’s Cultural Plan in 2012 which acts as the roadmap for Chi-Town’s future cultural and economic growth. The plan outlined 10 initiatives all aimed at bolstering Chicago’s arts and culture scene which the likes of which hadn’t been seen in more than 25 years, according to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office.
“The Chicago Cultural Plan is the centerpiece of our strategy to elevate the city as a global destination for creativity, innovation and excellence in the arts,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Obama, on the one-year anniversary of Burros’s brainchild. “With advocacy and support from an independent group of advisors, the Cultural Plan will continue to create a framework to guide the city’s future cultural and economic growth for many years to come.”
In her new role with the City of Boston, Burros will be charged with overseeing nine staffers within the Boston Arts Commission and Boston Cultural Council, armed with a budget of $1.3 million. She’ll also lead the charge in implementing new art installments, cultivating public conversation pertaining to proposed works, and create a similarly-styled art plan for Boston as she did for Chicago.
According to the Boston Globe, “Burros will also oversee the Fund for Boston Neighborhoods, at about $1.1 million, funded largely by contributions from organizations and individuals and used for events such as First Night.”
She’ll be earning a salary of $125,000 per year.
Welcome aboard, Julie. And our condolences to our media brethren Chicago Inno for no longer being able to enjoy all of the advantageous aspects that she’s utilized to elevate Chicago to new cultural heights.
