Welcome Lafayette Cruise and Nubes Chen to the MAPC Arts & Culture Team! | |
Excited to have Lafayette Cruise and Nubes Chen join the MAPC Arts & Culture Team! | |
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Lafayette Cruise and Nubes Chen are joining the Arts & Culture Team, bringing their exceptional talents and diverse expertise to MAPC.
As an Arts and Culture Planner II, Lafayette brings a rich blend of experience from roles at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Mayors’ Offices of New York City and Racine, Wisconsin, and his creative practice as an artist and worldbuilder. His work explores the intersection of urban planning and speculative fiction, using radical imagination to envision and build just, sustainable futures.
Joining as MAPC's first ever Arts, Culture, and Humanities Planner II, Nubes combines her expertise in cultural planning, placemaking, and creative engagement. Her work spans Los Angeles and China, focusing on context-responsive community planning and cultural heritage preservation. She’s passionate about using storytelling and socially engaged art to amplify local culture and build resilient communities.
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The fourth year of Making it Public for Municipalities kicked off this month with an orientation for the 2025 cohort. MAPC municipalities participating this year include Beverly, Chelsea, Cohasset, Glouster, and Malden. Facilitated by MAPC in partnership, Making it Public for Municipalities is a program offered by the New England Foundation for the Arts, inspired by the program developed for arts administrators by Forecast Public Art.
We are excited to welcome participants from three regional planning agencies this year – Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC), Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) in Western Mass, and the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (serving New Bedford, Fall River and surrounding communities). Leaders and staff from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Communities and Advancement Initiatives will also be participating in this year’s workshop.
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Society for Architecture Cultural Facilities Network Talk | |
Dr. Annis Sengupta presenting at the BSA Cultural Facilities Network talk “Blank Canvas: How developers, government, and communities incorporate arts into development projects.” | |
Archaeology’s Role in Urban Planning Featured at International Conference | |
Lindsay Randall presenting at the 2025 Society for Historical Archaeology Conference in New Orleans. | |
Lindsay Randall, Senior Regional Humanities Specialist at MAPC, presented at the Society for Historical Archaeology's Annual International Conference in New Orleans this month. As part of the session Breaking Free from the (Institutional) Matrix: Archaeological Career Pathways In and Between Academia, CRM, Non-Profit, and Museum Spheres, her presentation Bridging Past and Present: Applying Archaeological Skills to Urban Planning showcased how archaeological insights inform culturally sensitive urban planning in Greater Boston. The discussion emphasized the value of interdisciplinary approaches in addressing modern challenges and fostering connections across fields. | |
NOTE: The following opportunities may be impacted by recent activities of the Federal Government to freeze federal spending. Please check the websites linked below for any updates regarding timeline changes or availability. | |
MHC Announcing MPPF Round 31 & Virtual Workshops | |
Secretary William F. Galvin, Chair of the Massachusetts Historical Commission is pleased to announce that Round 31 of the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant program has been scheduled. It is anticipated that funding will be in the range of $1,000,000.
Application deadline is March 14, 2025.
Administered by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC), the MPPF is a state-funded 50% matching grant reimbursement program established in 1984 to support the preservation of properties, landscapes, and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places. Applicants must be a municipality or nonprofit organization. The program is administered in accordance with 950 CMR 73.00. Please note that grant disbursement is subject to reauthorization of the capital accounts and the availability of sufficient allocated funds.
To learn more about the MPPF grant program go here.
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Navigating Congress and the Administration in 2025 and Beyond | |
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Join the National Trust’s Government Relations team and colleagues from the National Trust Community Investment Corporation and Main Street America on February 12 at 2:00 PM ET for a webinar examining the priorities of the incoming Trump Administration and Republican-controlled Congress and how to position historic preservation for success.
This session will spotlight the evolving legislative and regulatory landscape, with a special focus on how it will shape the future of historic preservation. Topics to be discussed include efforts to improve the historic tax credit, demonstrating the funding needs of the preservation movement, and legislative efforts to protect important historic places.
Speakers will discuss strategies for engaging with the incoming Administration and Members of Congress, maintaining and growing bipartisan relationships, and the importance of identifying new champions in Congress to advocate for preservation priorities.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with preservation leaders, ask your own questions, and prepare for what lies ahead.
Register here.
This webinar is part of a series hosted by Preservation Leadership Forum.
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Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance (CPTA) Resource Team Members | |
Forecast seeks up to ten experienced practitioners from across the U.S. to serve as Resource Team Members to support Our Town grantees and their project partners. This contract involves providing one-on-one consultations, facilitating workshops and peer exchanges, and offering targeted guidance on integrating arts, culture, and design into community development and creative placemaking strategies.
The NEA and Forecast invite interested parties to apply by 11:59 PM EST, February 26, 2025.
These are remote, contract positions with occasional travel in the U.S., at a rate of $200/hour for up to 60 hours over 15 months (April 2025 – July 2026).
Apply here by February 26, 2025.
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National Endowment for the Arts - Research Grants in the Arts and NEA Research Labs | |
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is offering two grant programs to support research into the value and impact of the arts:
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Research Grants in the Arts: $20,000–$100,000 for studies examining the arts' impact as part of the U.S. ecosystem or their interaction with other domains of American life.
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NEA Research Labs: $100,000–$300,000 for transdisciplinary research teams focused on generating empirical insights about the arts' role in both arts and non-arts sectors.
Eligibility: Applicants must be nonprofit organizations, federally recognized tribes, or higher education institutions with a three-year operational history. Research Labs also require partnerships with arts organizations or artists.
Deadlines:
- Grants.gov submission: March 24, 2025
- NEA portal submission: April 3, 2025
- Notifications: November 2025
- Earliest start date: January 1, 2026
Cost-share Requirement: 1:1 match.
For full program guidelines, application instructions, and resources, visit NEA’s Research Awards page.
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National Endowment for the Humanities - State and Impact of the Humanities | |
The State and Impact of the Humanities program offers funding to organizations conducting research on the role, value, and impact of the humanities in the U.S.
Award Amounts:
- Level 1: Up to $75,000 (12 months)
- Level 2: Up to $150,000 (24 months)
Application Deadlines:
- Applications open: January 17, 2025
- Optional draft due: February 14, 2025
- Final deadline: April 16, 2025
Project Start Dates: February 1 or April 1, 2026
This program supports diverse research activities, from data collection and analysis to public-facing publications, peer-reviewed studies, and toolkits. Applicants must include at least one humanist on their project team.
For more information, application instructions, and a recorded webinar, go here.
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External Employment Opportunities | | |
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Career Opportunity: Chief of Arts & Culture with the City of Boston | |
Boston is seeking its next Chief of Arts and Culture to lead transformative initiatives and champion the city's vibrant creative ecosystem. This cabinet-level position offers the opportunity to shape Boston's cultural identity and advance equitable arts initiatives.
Learn more and apply here.
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Looking to connect with like-minded practitioners across the country? Contact asengupta@mapc.org for more information. | |
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MAPC's Arts and Culture Department delivers technical assistance in emerging practice areas including cultural planning, creative placemaking, creative community development, arts and cultural data collection and analysis, and cultural policy.
We help cities and towns with policies, programs, and staffing that help arts and cultural assets grow and thrive by providing technical assistance with the full range of arts and culture planning issues – community development, economic development, public health, and the built and natural environment. The department's services include municipal and regional planning work, research projects, and the delivery of trainings that build planner expertise in arts, culture, and creativity.
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