Mayor Walsh Announces Boston Chief of Arts and Culture
For the first time in more than two decades, Boston will have a chief of arts and culture.
On Tuesday, after a 6-month national search, Mayor Marty Walsh announced Julie Burros will fill the role. She will be sworn in to the cabinet-level office in December.
Burros currently serves as the director of cultural planning for the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The 49-year-old will be tasked with heading the creation of Boston’s Cultural Plan and to work as “an advocate for the arts community across new policy creation,’’ per a statement from the city.
Burros’s Arts and Culture cabinet role will include overseeing a staff of nine Boston Arts Commission and Boston Cultural Council employees with an annual budget of $1.3 million. Burros will earn an annual salary of $125,000.
“I’ve said from Day One that I want to elevate Boston’s arts and culture profile,’’ Walsh said in the 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.’’
In 2012, Burros oversaw a the implementation of a revised Chicago Cultural Plan which is defined as having been “launched to address distinct objectives specific to a city’s cultural sector, including all art forms and heritage, creative industries and resource providers. A cultural plan outlines a broad framework for the role of culture in civic life.’’
The plan can be viewed in its entirety on the City of Chicago’s website.
Before working on the Chicago Cultural Plan, Burros obtained a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Chicago and a Master’s from Columbia University in Architecture, Planning and Preservation with a focus on planning for the built environment.
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