State Rep. candidates Vlad Yanovsky (11th Middlesex, R) and Greg Schwartz (12th Middlesex, D), 11th Middlesex State Rep. Kay Khan, and State Rep. candidate Amy Sangiolo (11th Middlesex, D)
The Newton Cultural Alliance presented an Arts & Culture Candidate Forum on October 10 at the Allen Center in West Newton.
The attending candidates for Massachusetts House of Representative seats were Amy Sangiolo and Vlad Yanovsky, Democratic and Republican nominees respectively, for the 11th Middlesex district, and Dr. Greg Schwartz, the Democratic nominee for the 12th district. Schwartz is unopposed in the November election.
The three candidates discussed their arts policies and philosophies. Retiring 11th Middlesex district State Representative Kay Khan moderated the discussion. Most of the audience attendees were representatives from Newton’s many arts organizations.
The forum began with comments from Representative Khan, who noted she was a co-founder of the Newton Cultural Alliance. Next, each candidate offered personal arts histories. Sangiolo described her early experiences in dance, acting, and piano playing, and said she studied piano at the Juilliard School. Yanovsky said he was classically trained in violin and opera and grew up “in a family of Bohemians behind the Iron Curtain.”
Schwartz said his personal arts background was less extensive than those of the other candidates and described his family’s immense pleasure when he gave up playing clarinet. Describing the importance of the arts, Schwartz recounted a recent experience as a practicing physician, seeing the joy that music brought to two hospice patients.
Sangiolo and Schwartz advocated for increased government funding for the arts, stating many benefits that arts bring to Newton and the larger society. Sangiolo described her support for the arts as a Newton City Councilor, and especially for arts education in the public schools. Schwartz and Sangiolo spoke of the…