“I’ve been an admirer of the cultural sector [in Philadelphia] for many years, the last 15 years or so,” Gary Steuer says. Come October, Steuer will take office as the Chief Cultural Officer for the city of Philadelphia.
Steuer currently serves as Vice President for Private Sector Affairs at Americans for the Arts, as well as Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council of Americans for the Arts. In this capacity, he has worked with the Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia as well as the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, so he is no stranger to the arts community in Philadelphia.
Steuer says that there is tremendous energy, excitement and creativity in Philadelphia, which is what excites him about his new position come October. This is an opportunity to help continue to move the city forward, he says. Part of the appeal of the position was adding a larger scope to the office – by broadening the focus beyond non-profit arts and culture.
“At this point, there is a lot of work that remains to be done [within the new office],” Steuer says. The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy will have to examine the role that the arts play in virtually every aspect of civic life in the city, he says. The newly restored office must determine what they can do to support the arts and the creative economy, an important component of what makes the city a great place to live and work, Steuer adds.
The new office will also examine ways to stimulate the for- and non-profit creative industries in Philadelphia. “We need to look at how we can foster arts and culture and the creative economy,” Steuer says. The new office must tap into Philadelphia’s creative workforce and arts education in Philadelphia.
All of his previous work experiences prepare him to take office as Chief Cultural Office in October. “They all add up to where I am now, in terms of what I know and the experiences that I have,” Steuer says. His previous job experiences have allowed him to work on fostering creativity and innovation, as well as cultural tourism.
As Vice President for Private Sector Affairs at Americans for the Arts, Steuer leads the effort to stimulate private sector support for the arts, including promoting partnerships between the arts and business, as well as overseeing services to the national network of Arts & Business Councils and the United Arts Funds. He also oversees the National Arts Marketing Project (NAMP), MetLife Forums, and the Arts & Business Council of New York, which operates as a division of Americans for the Arts.
Prior to working at the Arts & Business Council Steuer ran National Actors Theatre on Broadway, was a program director at the New York State Council on the Arts, served as managing director of the Vineyard Theatre, and produced several commercial theatrical productions. He has written, lectured and taught extensively on arts management and policy issues.
Karen Davis, President and CEO of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, was a member of the search committee for the Chief Cultural Officer. “Gary has a breadth of skills and knowledge of the arts,” Davis says. In addition, his involvement in creative economy work, within private sectors and foundations, gave him an edge as an applicant. “[He] comes with an understanding of how to cultivate support of arts and culture,” she says.
“Clearly the city benefits from a strong economy and strong creative economy,” Steuer says. “[It is] in the city’s interest to do whatever it can to foster the for-profit, creative economy.”
This positive change for the city will have a tremendous impact on the for-profit, creative economy, a $60 billion industry in the Philadelphia Region. The city’s attention to the importance of the creative economy by re-establishing this office reiterates the great importance of the creative industries to the City of Philadelphia and to the City's economic prosperity.
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