Dig into New England's Free Directory
of Creative Enterprises and Artists
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Kelsie Steil performing in "Atelier". by Rose Hutchins | Photo by Elisabeth Williams
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Into the Dog Days of 2020 |
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While the arts and culture sector in New England has had to navigate new ideas for in-person events in light of the pandemic, there has still been much happening. Our region has been engaged in conversations around what an anti-racist and equitable creative community looks like - with virtual gatherings, murals and public art. Creative workers and organizations have already been dramatically impacted by Covid-19, and the sector is asking what the future of the creative economy might look like.
Speaking of changes, the CreativeGround team and our website developers are working on upgrades to the online platform to better promote and connect the sector as we move onward, hopefully to the end of the Dog Days and into a better future. At this time, we anticipate the new CreativeGround to be launched by the end of 2020. Read on to learn how you can deepen your involvement in the platform upgrade, in the CreativeGround community, and connect your self or organization to resources in the region.
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Did you notice our refreshed logo at the top of this newsletter? More dots to come - we're updating CreativeGround this year! Stay up to date with the latest public details by visiting www.CreativeGround.org/News.
How can you prepare for the upgrade?
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Get Noticed. We're featuring profiles more frequently on social media as we await the new site. Ensure your profile meets these criteria and submit your profile to be featured
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Get Involved. While submitting your profile to be featured, flag ways you wish to get more involved::
- Authoring a blog
- Contributing your skills as a New England Creative Economy Network Fellow
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Give Feedback. Want to be the first to test out the functionality of the new site? Please fill out this form to apply to be a Beta tester. More details of what this entails will be coming soon.
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"On the CreativeGround with..." |
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"The live experience is central to our craft and we have had to think hard about how we can best re-create this connection around music remotely, using live-streaming." -Nicholas Burns, Samara Piano Quartet
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Let's Talk About ...You!
Writing about your creative work can be difficult. Because CreativeGround is a searchable directory, try to take an actions-inspired approach when describing your work in the About section:
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Keep it to a few thoughtful paragraphs. Entice people to contact you to get more details.
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Talk about what you do and how you do it.
- Visitors to CreativeGround are searching for specific expertise, services, and connections when seeking out a potential new collaborator or creative asset in their communities.
- You can include some of the why you do what you do; have a fantastic artistic statement about theories and concepts you are exploring? We recommend linking to that statement in your Additional Links section, or condensing your statement to a paragraph and labeling it as your artistic statement in your Description of Work narrative.
- Use the keywords by which you want to be found.
- If you want your profile to come up in search results for video projection, make sure you have the phrase "video projection" in your Description of Work narrative AND have selected the related Activities/Services. In fact, any items that you list on the rest of your profile (Disciplines, Activities and Services, Touring or Teaching Artist sections, etc.) should be referenced and given context in your description.
- Pssst.... writing in the third person might help you focus your activities instead of your ideas.
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Show explorers of CreativeGround that you are still active. If you have had to innovate your arts and culture practices and programming to adapt to the virtual space, make those adaptations visible.
- Update your Description of Work to highlight how your offerings are affected by COVID-19. For example, is your 2020-21 performance season moved completely online? Are you offering a virtual market because of your inability to participate in summer arts markets? Are you teaching - and what does that look like?
- In the Additional Links section, add and label entries that go to COVID-19 related responses in your work (for example, a specific page on your website (if applicable)).
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Taking A Break?
The CreativeGround team is sensitive to the fact that at this time, organizations may be closed or artists may be taking a break from their practices. Let us know if this is you by clicking the Flag Profile link at the bottom of the public view of your profile; the CreativeGround team can unpublish your profile while you are inactive. This lets the database reflect the creative economy in this current reality. Know that if closure is a temporary measure, we can re-publish a profile when you return to your work in the sector.
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A quarterly break down of a term, concept or data point related to the study of the creative sector |
The creative economy is a powerful engine of growth and community vitality. Together, artists, cultural nonprofits, and creative businesses produce and distribute cultural goods and services that generate jobs, revenue, and quality of life. A thriving cultural sector leads to thriving communities.
Originally an agricultural concept for creating a self-sustaining garden, permaculture can be applied to the creative economy (and the systems therein) that ensure the creative sector's persistence.
- Permaculture (n.)
- a set of design principles centered on whole systems thinking, simulating, or directly utilizing the patterns and resilient features observed in natural ecosystems
- can also be the set of tools to rethink and redefine communities by working with what IS – making permanently adaptable to change to create resilient cultures and communities
Just as the creative economy is part of the permaculture of New England, the creative economy is made up of the relationships and resources that strengthen and support its own sustainability.
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REMINDER: 2020 Census - Your Data Matters |
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The deadline for the 2020 Census is currently set for September 30. Census data impacts what resources are allocated to your community, and to identify trends for people with creative occupations. Consider filling out the Census so that your community is not undercounted.
Via our March poll, as creative workers, your biggest concerns about sharing your data are:
- I don't trust my data to stay protected - 27.6%
- I don't want unsolicited contact - 27.6%
- Sharing my data can compromise my personal safety - 24.1%
- Other - 20.7%
NEFA's Census 2020 blog recaps Census Bureau data security measures to inform your decision to share or not.
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Regional Grant Opportunities
NEFA
Your State Arts Agency
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National Endowment for the Arts
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Bring CreativeGround to your Virtual Grounds |
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We likely won't be on the physical road this fall, in light of the pandemic. However, we still want to connect with you virtually! Help bring the CreativeGround team to your community's virtual events by emailing creativeground@nefa.org. |
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CONTACT
Morganna Becker (she/her/hers)
Community Engagement Coordinator, Creative Economy
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A project of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), CreativeGround is brought to you through ongoing partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, the Maine Arts Commission, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and the Vermont Arts Council. |
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