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
- Art classes, flower gardening and Spanish classesThe resident asks for art work and painting classes, a flower garden, and Spanish classes.2025–26City-wide
- Hairdressing, cosmetology and fashion design programsThe resident asks for programming around hairdressing, cosmetology, clothing design and hairstyle fashion statements.2025–26City-wide
- Small museum on Chinatown and Chinese immigrant historyResident proposes a small museum on the history of Boston's Chinatown and Chinese immigrants to deepen understanding beyond food and reduce anti-Chinese sentiment.2025–26Leather District
- Citywide community cookbook and potluck reading seriesResident proposes a collaborative cookbook and essay collection with potlucks and readings so residents can share stories and recipes and build collective ownership.2025–26City-wide
- 24-hour free co-working space for artists and entrepreneursResident proposes a free, always-open co-working space for local artists and entrepreneurs in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, giving low-income residents a place to meet, work and host events.2024–25Dorchester
- Artist-designed stone fountains in each neighborhoodResident proposes one simple, non-drinking fountain per neighborhood, made of native Boston stone and designed by local artists, as community gathering places.2024–25City-wide
- Warehouse dance venues and later nightlife hoursResident asks to convert empty warehouses into dance venues and extend last call and curfew hours to revitalize Boston's nightlife.2024–25City-wide
- Inter-generational play on gentrification and homelessnessResident proposes an inter-generational play project, 'A Place to Live', exploring gentrification, homelessness and cultural loss while involving elders and community members preserving their heritage.2024–25City-wide
- Multi-use arts space in Mattapan SquareResident asks the city to buy an old building in Mattapan Square and make it a multi-use space like Cambridge's Dance Complex for arts, wellness and classes, aiding local economic development.2024–25Mattapan
- Citywide community band open to allResident asks for a citywide community band open to musicians of any background and skill level, giving people who play instruments a place to perform.2024–25City-wide
- Arts and culture programming supporting creativesResident asks for arts and culture programming that promotes creative people and sustains them with ongoing opportunities.2024–25City-wide
- More spaces for youth creative expressionResident wants more opportunities and spaces for youth to create art, so they stay off the streets and some violence is prevented.2024–25City-wide
- Arts, more street lighting and more parksResident asks for arts and culture programming, more light poles for street lighting, and more parks.2024–25City-wide
- Free community craft show with ESOL and citizenship infoHost a free community craft event where families make things, with children's programs, ESOL classes and citizenship information, supporting mental health and helping newcomers cope.2024–25City-wide
- Subsidize public galleries in vacant storefrontsResident asks the city to subsidize public art galleries in empty storefronts, giving communities access to art and reducing blight.2024–25Dorchester
- Artist residency, workshops and community arts programResident proposes an arts program with a shared artist studio, skills workshops, funded public art and festivals, and a digital platform to foster local talent.2024–25Unspecified
- Performing arts schools in several neighborhoodsOpen performing arts schools in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain and the South End, serving all ethnic groups.2024–25City-wide
- Poetry exploring social identity and otheringThe resident proposes helping people explore poetic representations of the Other and Othering, inspired by James Baldwin, to address racial divides.2024–25City-wide
- Free workshops to rebuild social comfort after pandemicThe resident asks for free workshops with refreshments that teach conversation and collaboration with strangers, using the arts to build trust after pandemic isolation.2024–25City-wide
- Graffiti artists paint basketball courts citywideThe resident asks for local graffiti artists to paint their own designs on basketball courts across the city.2024–25Brighton