Ted Cutler, premier arts patron in Boston, dies at 86
Arts patron and philanthropist Ted Cutler.
From an improbable start as a Dorchester boy playing bass fiddle in a cowboy band through years making a fortune in the travel, convention, and hotel industries, Ted Cutler knew that the arts nourish the soul.
With his late wife, Joan, he became one of Boston’s premier arts philanthropists, launching the restoration of a 100-year-old theater for Emerson College, his alma mater, and personally funding the multiday Outside the Box festivals in 2013, 2015, and 2016 that turned the city he loved into a sprawling series of stages to showcase music and dance.
Mr. Cutler, who was 86 when he died Thursday evening of complications from a lung disease, had a disarmingly simple explanation for why he donated millions to feed the hungry and provide lavish venues for musicians who might otherwise perform only on T platforms.
“God’s been real good to us, and we feel really fortunate that we’ve been able to share what we have,” Mr. Cutler said as he sat with his wife in the Bristol lounge at the Four Seasons in 2003, the year Emerson College’s Cutler Majestic Theatre was named in their honor.
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