Supporting the Arts in Paris and Boston

The Boston Phoenix details Boston's efforts to drive artists out of the Fort Point neighborhood in favor of office and residential tower development. It's just a sad state of affairs, even more so when you consider the sign you see when you enter Fort Point: "New England's Largest and Oldest Artist Community".

Compare and contrast this with how Paris treated their artist's quarters in the early 20th century:

The French state, with its respect for artists and understanding of the attraction they exert, allowed Montparnasse to develop into a "free zone" with less police surveillance and greater acceptance of unconventional behavior and lifestyles then would have been allowed in other areas of Paris. The police kept Montparnassse free of the unsavory elements that invaded Montmartre: brothels and organized prostitution were not allowed, and criminal elements were kept away.

- p. 259, "A Life of Picasso, The Cubist Rebel 1907-1916" by John Richardson