Community Foundation for MetroWest: ARTbuilds Community Conversations | | Lafayette Cruise, Arts and Culture Planner II at MAPC, leads the final Community Listening Session hosted by the Community Foundation for MetroWest. | | |
Between May 9th and June 12th, the MAPC Arts & Culture Department facilitated a series of five virtual and one in-person listening sessions hosted by the Community Foundation for MetroWest (CFMW) to explore various dimensions of the arts and culture ecosystem in CFMW’s region as well as bright spots, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen the sector.
Sessions focused on topics such as the economic impact of arts organizations, representation in arts and culture in MetroWest, access to arts and culture, the life of the artist in MetroWest and the value and impact of arts and culture to the region.
Speakers included Suchi Mumford from ArtSpace Maynard, Meenakshi Verma-Agarwal from Chhandika, Sam Gould from Outside the Vox and Open Door Theater, and Reyad Shah from MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. During the final session, the team shared findings from the virtual conversations and led participants in conversations to identify key themes and takeaways.
A final report will synthesize findings from the conversations to inform CFMW’s development of their programmatic investment, ARTbuilds MetroWest.
| | MAPC Presents at MASSCreative Creative Sector Summit in Northampton | | Flyer from the Creative Sector Summit | | |
On Friday, June 6, Annis Sengupta and Abbey Judd joined MASSCreative’s Creative Sector Summit to host a talkshop about creating an ArtsForward Metro Boston and ArtsForward Massachusetts. Senior Government Affairs Specialist Norman Abbot also presented at the summit to explore the future of the arts sector in Massachusetts.
The Creative Sector Summit is an annual convening of cultural thought leaders, artists, creatives, policy advocates, educators, culture bearers, arts administrators, teaching artists, and public officials. Hosted at the Northampton Center for the Arts, the Creative Sector Summit’s theme focused on Meeting the Moment: Creative Advocacy and Cultural Organizing for Cultural Communities.
Learn more about MASSCreative and its leadership in cultural policy in Massachusetts, including the Creative Sector Legislative Agenda here.
| | Massachusetts Poet Laureate Announcement | | Governor Maura Healey and others applaud Regie Gibson during the ceremony celebrating his appointment as Massachusetts’ first Poet Laureate. | | |
Dr. Annis Sengupta, Director of Arts and Culture, attended an event on Friday, May 30th to celebrate the swearing in of Regie Gibson, Massachusetts’ inaugural Poet Laureate, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem with MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock.
In addition to remarks from Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael Bobbitt, PEM Executive Director Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, and Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo, the speaking program included a reading by Regie from his poem, “Massachusetts: A Song of Itself, Revolution, and Resilience.”
| | Lower Mystic Cool Communications Arts | | |
Tropical Resilience Lounge Pop-ups
by Carolyn Lewenberg & Edwardo Chacon
Beat the heat and connect with community! Join our Cool Communications artists for a multi-sensory cooling experience where you can share your own stories of staying cool and learn how to stay safe and refreshed during the summer.
| | |
Chelsea Juneteenth Celebration
Date: June 19
Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Washington Park
Event information page here.
| |  | |
I Love Winthrop Festival
Date: June 21
Time: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: French Square
Event information page here.
| | |
Exhibit: How Animals Help Us Beat the Heat
by Hania Mariën and Anna Lucia Deloia
Children’s Section, Chelsea Public Library
The exhibit features artwork by first-grade students from Chelsea, who worked with Artist Hania Mariën and Anna Lucia Deloia and explored animal adaptations through storytelling and art-making. Come visit the Children’s Section at the Chelsea Public Library to see how these young artists imagine a cooler, more resilient world.
| | Visit our website to know about Lower Mystic Cool Communications Arts | | MAPC is Hiring: Assistant Director of Arts and Culture | | |
MAPC is seeking a collaborative, strategic leader to help guide our Arts & Culture department. This role will oversee cultural planning, public art, creative placemaking, and policy work - supporting staff, leading projects, and building partnerships across the region.
Learn more and apply here.
| | | | Looking to connect with like-minded practitioners across the country? Contact asengupta@mapc.org for more information. | | |
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.
| | | | |
