Arts & culture
Arts programming, artist support, cultural spaces and neighborhood history and heritage.
Residents want paid, supported local artists, free affordable places to create and perform, and more public art, free cultural events and youth arts across neighborhoods.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
160 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 56 | 4.6% | 11 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 45 | 3.7% | 13 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 59 | 4.5% | 10 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Pay and support for local artists
Residents ask for micro-grants, fair pay, mentorship and business training so artists and musicians can sustain their work in Boston.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Free or low-cost spaces to create, rehearse and show art
Residents want studios, galleries, co-working and performance spaces in vacant storefronts, unused city buildings and neighborhood hubs, especially in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Free cultural events and performances in neighborhoods
Residents ask for free concerts, festivals and performances in parks and public spaces that reflect Boston's many cultures and reach beyond downtown.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Murals and public art by local artists
Residents suggest paying local and BIPOC artists to paint murals and install public art that beautifies blank walls and underused spaces.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Arts and music programs for children and youth
Residents want free or low-cost art, music and dance programs and spaces for young people, including instruments, studios and healing-centered arts.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
Ideas centered on murals, performance spaces in parks, new arts hubs and centers, and recognizing neighborhood and First Nations history, with many Dorchester, East Boston and Charlestown ideas.
2025–26
Ideas leaned toward artist-support systems such as micro-grants, a mentor network, a city arts platform and free use of unused city buildings, plus healing-centered art and heritage exhibits.
2026–27
Ideas stressed direct pay for artists, including basic income and fair pay for musicians, and a cluster of Allston-Brighton asks, including a Western Avenue arts district, alongside many music and cultural performance requests.
New in 2026–27
New or growing in 2026-27 are an arts district on Western Avenue in Allston-Brighton, basic income and fair-pay funds for artists, and music in transit stations and senior centers.
Funding so far
No resident-voted winning projects relate to this theme, so none of the recurring asks, including artist funding, affordable creative spaces, free events, murals and youth arts, has been funded through resident vote yet.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
No winning project has addressed this theme yet.
Departments that often lead this work
- Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture
- Boston Public Library
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Arts & culture
160 ideas
2024–25: 56 · 2025–26: 45 · 2026–27: 59
- Local art displays in clinic waiting roomsThe resident asks the city to pay local artists rental fees to display artwork in clinic waiting rooms and healthcare facilities to improve patient well-being.2026–27City-wide
- City fund for fair pay for local musiciansThe resident asks for a city fund to guarantee local musicians a fair wage when they play at public events.2026–27City-wide
- More funding for youth and young adult artsAsks for more funding for arts programming aimed at youth and young adults.2026–27City-wide
- House of culture for art, traditions and cuisineResident proposes a cultural house presenting art, traditions and cuisine where young people and adults can learn about their roots and keep ancestral heritage alive.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Rehearsal and studio space in unused city buildingsResident asks to convert unused city-owned buildings into free or low-cost rehearsal spots and studios for local artists, performers and nonprofits.2026–27City-wide
- Free art exhibition space in unused public buildingsResident asks to convert unused city-owned buildings into free or low-cost exhibition areas for local artists and nonprofits to promote equitable cultural access.2026–27City-wide
- Free neighborhood summer concerts in city parksResident asks for a revived Summer Thing-style series of free park concerts featuring local neighborhood acts, giving youth summer activities and paying local musicians.2026–27City-wide
- LGBTQ+ community center and club in Allston-BrightonResident wants a daytime café and nighttime dance and drag venue for the LGBTQ+ community in Allston-Brighton, citing the loss of long-standing queer spaces and a need for community.2026–27Allston
- Mobile pop-up shop for local artistsResident proposes a newsstand-style mobile pop-up shop, featuring a different artist each weekend, to give artists low-cost space to show and sell work and connect with the community.2026–27City-wide
- Paid music and storytelling residencies at senior centersResident asks to pay local musicians a fair stipend to lead music circles and song-sharing at senior centers, reducing isolation for seniors and supporting artists.2026–27City-wide
- Free community cultural festivals and arts eventsThe resident asks the City to support free cultural festivals, performances, concerts and workshops to increase participation and cross-cultural understanding.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Chinese
- Grants for local performer series in Allston-Brighton parksThe resident asks for grants for an event series featuring local performers at Herter Park's Riverstage and other Allston-Brighton parks, since the area lacks space to practice and perform.2026–27Allston
- Large shared art and fashion studio spaceResident asks for a big space where creatives and designers can make art and fashion, with free textiles from local companies to avoid waste.2026–27City-wide
- Senior citizen video story archiveResident proposes a video archive where seniors record their stories, with the city providing space and technology, preserving knowledge and easing loneliness.2026–27City-wide
- Open-caption movie screenings for deaf residentsResident asks the city to pay movie theaters or libraries to host open-caption screenings, since current showings are rare and limit deaf residents' access to films.2026–27City-wide
- Paid community cookout for bondingThe resident proposes a community cookout paying $50 per attendee to encourage community bonding and sharing cultural heritage through meals.2026–27City-wide
- Third spaces for creatives to connect and showcaseThe resident asks for coworking spaces and lounges outside venues and clubs where creatives can connect, create, build community and showcase work.2026–27City-wide
- Invest more in the arts as economic engineResident argues the arts are an important economic engine and asks for more arts support that is open to everyone.2026–27City-wide
- Funding for local artistsResident asks for funds for local artists to give them tools to explore art, which benefits everyone.2026–27City-wide
- Support and better pay for local artistsResident asks for support and better payment for local artists, noting East Boston's diverse population.2026–27City-wide