MASSCreative

Huge WIN for creative advocacy organizing: yesterday afternoon, Gov. Healey signed the Downtown Vitality Act into law! ?? The $9.5 million Downtown Vitality Grant program was included in the Mass Leads Act (H.5100), a $3.96 billion economic development bill that also includes a live theater tax credit and a renewed $50 million for Mass Cultural Council's Cultural Facilities Fund. Congratulations to our entire coalition on this well-deserved victory! Visit our blog to read more about the Mass Leads Act and its relevance to the creative sector: ?? https://lnkd.in/erBvW7Z2

This Fall, we organized the statewide Creative Conversations series to update artists, creatives, cultural organizations, and changemakers on the legislative progress that we made together this session and to gather feedback about what the sector needs in the 2025-2026 Creative Sector Legislative Agenda. We want to hear directly from you about what your creative community needs to grow stronger. If we missed you at one of the scheduled events, we invite you to participate now by completing the Creative Conversations survey. The deadline to submit your responses is Monday, December 2nd at 5 PM. #CreativeMA #MAPoli https://lnkd.in/dWhyU4uR

After an incredible year of learning, workshops, and hands-on advocacy, my journey as a 2023-2024 MASSCreative Advocacy and Organizing Fellow culminated on November 2nd with my final project, "Notes for Change." This powerful event used the transformative power of music to spotlight the urgent housing challenges on Cape Cod. Featuring the extraordinary Rasa String Quartet and performers directly impacted by the housing crisis, the concert wove together stirring musical performances and hard-hitting housing statistics to create a deeply moving, story-like experience that inspired action. I’m deeply grateful to Emily Ruddock, Richeline Cadet, Kelsey Rode, and the entire MASSCreative team for an exceptional fellowship experience. The tools and insights I gained allowed me to produce an event where art and advocacy met to drive meaningful change. A heartfelt thank-you to Alisa Magnotta, Stefanie Coxe, Christina Donnelly Wiseman, and the entire team at the Housing Assistance for their support in making this vision a reality. Your dedication and partnership were instrumental in the event's success. This is just the beginning. I’m excited to expand this concert concept to other communities on Cape Cod—and beyond our bridges—to spark similar conversations across the Commonwealth. Art + Advocacy = CHANGE. Let’s keep the momentum going! #capesymphonypresents #savethelocals

Congratulations to MASSCreative on the success of their statewide initiative to host regional Creative Conversations, creating opportunities to hear directly from communities about what should be included in the next Massachusetts Creative Sector Legislative Agenda! The Springfield Creative City Collective is proud to have partnered with the Springfield Cultural Partnership in coordinating the Hampden County Creative Conversation, which took place at the welcoming and community-centered Focus Springfield. Thank you, Focus Springfield, for providing the perfect space to inspire connection and collaboration. As MASSCreative continues to travel across Massachusetts—from Fall River and Lynn to Provincetown, Lowell, Orange, and beyond—bringing creatives, cultural workers, and community leaders together, it is an exciting and transformative time to be a stakeholder in Massachusetts’ creative and cultural economy. These conversations are building a strong, united regional approach to supporting and advancing our sector. Counties who have engaged in this initiative so far include the South Coast (Fall River), North Shore (Lynn), Cape & Islands (Provincetown), Merrimack Valley (Lowell), Franklin County (Orange) and Hampden County (Springfield)! MASSCreative’s leadership in centering artists’ voices and advocating for creative entrepreneurs and cultural workers at the state and federal levels is truly commendable and essential to our collective growth and sustainability. Thank you, MASSCreative, for hosting these vital conversations and continuously prioritizing the voices that drive our sector forward. Let’s continue to build momentum through meaningful dialogue and collective action. Together, we’re creating a more vibrant and equitable future for Massachusetts’ creative community. #TeamMA

Thank you to The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation and Asian American & Pacific Islanders Commission for inviting us to the AAPI Arts & Culture Summit at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate! As pictured, our Executive Director, Emily Ruddock, joined Stephen Chan and Giles Li from the Barr Foundation for a panel discussion on Opportunities in Funding for AAPI Arts & Culture. The MASSCreative team is grateful to the incredible slate of AAPI creative sector leaders who shared insights and workshopped strategies around asset mapping, narrative change, and advocacy & funding. #CreativeMA Photo credit: Lee-Daniel Tran (@leedanieltran/@leedanieltranphoto)

The Downtown Vitality Act is headed to the Governor's desk! ?? Last Thursday, the House and Senate approved a compromised version of the Mass Leads Act (H. 5100). Within the Mass Leads Act, they approved a $9.5 million capital spending line-item to create a new Downtown Vitality Grant, a live theater tax credit, and they reauthorized $50 million for the Cultural Facilities Fund. You can learn more about the Mass Leads Act by registering for tomorrow's Artivist Town Hall at 12 PM. Visit this link to register: https://lnkd.in/eHhZDadU #CreativeMA #MAPoli

We have a new program! Introducing: MASSCreative’s Artivist Town Hall! Beginning this month, the Artivist Town Hall will take the best parts of our Policy & Advocacy Webinars and Open Houses and combine them into one monthly webinar series to connect artists and creatives with resources, training, and expert insights to support them in their creative practices and activism. Each month, we will welcome a different guest to share their expertise, provide updates on advocacy opportunities, and engage in an open town hall-style conversation where participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, share their challenges, and receive support from the community. This Wednesday, November 20th from 12 - 1 PM, we are welcoming Joyce Linehan and Prof. Erin O’Brien for a panel discussion about how public and cultural policies are written, how we create the momentum necessary to move legislation, and how policies impact creative communities. Please register in advance if you plan to attend. #CreativeMA #ArtsAdvocacy https://lnkd.in/eHhZDadU

The MASSCreative Action Network's 2024 Election Debrief is two days away! Join us this Friday, November 15th at 12 PM to learn from community organizing and policy experts about how federal and state-level election results will impact the creative sector. To register for this event, please contact us at [email protected] by Thursday, November 14th at 5 PM. Visit the link to learn more about our featured speakers. #CreativeMA #ArtsAdvocacy https://lnkd.in/ehwFg6ci

Pictured here is a scene from our Creative Conversation at Artists for Humanity last Friday, with Emily taking the lead on our community polling. If you're in the Boston area and want to participate in this cultural policy conversation to help us shape next session's Creative Sector Legislative Agenda - join us tonight from 6 - 8 PM at Boston Center for the Arts for our final in-person event. Please register in advance if you plan to attend. You can contact [email protected] with any questions. #CreativeMA #ArtsAdvocacy https://lnkd.in/eRVNjnGv

The MASSCreative Action Network (MCAN) is hosting an MCAN members and MASSCreative donors-exclusive 2024 Election Debrief this Friday, November 15th at 12 PM to learn from community organizing and policy experts about how federal and state-level election results will impact the creative sector. Join us to benefit from the insights of Anthony Davis Jr., Errin Davis, Adam Hinds, and David Holland about the future of community and political organizing. To register for this event, please contact us at [email protected] by Thursday, November 14th at 5 PM. Visit the link to learn more about our featured speakers. #CreativeMA #ArtsAdvocacy https://lnkd.in/ehwFg6ci