Spotlight on the Creative Sector at the State House | | MAPC’s Director of Arts and Culture (center) joined MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock and Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael Bobbitt for a Legislative Briefing at the State House on the Creative Sector Legislative agenda. | | |
On March 4, MAPC’s Director of Arts & Culture, Dr. Annis Sengupta, joined Michael Bobbitt (Mass Cultural Council) and Emily Ruddock (MASSCreative) at the State House to brief legislators on this year’s creative sector policy agenda. Together, they emphasized the importance of continued investment in the creative economy and shared legislative priorities designed to support artists, creative workers, and cultural organizations across Massachusetts.
The briefing covered several key bills and budget items, including:
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The Downtown Vitality Grant Program, which would provide funding to support small businesses, cultural organizations, and public realm improvements in local downtowns.
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The Creative Space Act, aimed at preserving and creating more affordable spaces for artists and creative enterprises.
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The PLACE Act, which would establish a statewide “percent for public art” program—ensuring more public art is integrated into public construction projects.
This collective effort underscores the vital role arts and culture play in our communities—and the need for public support to keep them thriving.
| | Community Charrette on Clean Energy Guidelines | | Sarah Scott, MAPC Senior Regional Land Use and Historic Preservation Planner, and Margaret Back, NRF Preservation Project Manager, engage with Marblehead residents during a small group discussion. | | |
On Wednesday, March 19, we hosted a community charrette in Marblehead to gather feedback on proposed recommendations for clean energy guidelines in the Old and Historic District. The conversation focused on solar, heat pumps, EV charging, and windows.
MAPC staff from Arts & Culture, Land Use, and Clean Energy led small group discussions alongside two external experts:
These experts grounded the discussions in preservation principles of Reversibility, Distinguishability, and Scale, ensuring our recommendations align with best practices for updating historic properties with clean technologies.
Read local coverage of the event by the Marblehead Currant here.
For more information and project updates, visit our project website.
| | Swampscott Master Plan Open House: Creative Engagement in Action | | A fish sculpture from the Art for Resilience station, where residents shared ideas on preparing Swampscott for climate change. Each card represents a reflection on climate action, forming a vibrant "school of ideas." | | |
At the recent Swampscott Master Plan Open House, held at Swampscott High School, residents had the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas at various interactive stations designed to gather feedback. As always, when Arts + Culture staff are involved, we look for creative ways to connect with the community.
One station, Art for Resilience, combined climate resiliency and art, inviting residents to reflect on how Swampscott can prepare for climate change. Participants wrote their ideas on small cards, responding to prompts like:
- What does a resilient home look like?
- How can art inspire climate action?
- What’s one way Swampscott can prepare for the impacts of climate change?
Contributors then attached their cards to colorful fish sculptures created by Carolyn Lewenburg, MAPC's first Artist-in-Residence. These sculptures were originally part of the Climate Perspectives project in 2019, a participatory art initiative that collected community reflections on climate impacts and resilience strategies. At the open house, the decorated fish formed a vibrant “school of ideas,” symbolizing collective action toward a stronger, more prepared Swampscott.
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Other stations encouraged creative engagement as well:
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Weaving Our Future invited residents to write ideas about development, preservation, and transportation on fabric strips, which were then woven into a large bike wheel — illustrating how every idea contributes to Swampscott’s collective vision.
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Catch the Community’s Ideas encouraged attendees to write thoughts about historic preservation and tourism on paper lobsters. These were placed in a lobster trap — a nod to Swampscott’s history as the birthplace of the lobster trap — helping to “catch” ideas about what makes Swampscott special, what historic stories should be shared, and how to balance new development with preserving local character.
| | | Through these creative stations, residents played an active role in shaping Swampscott’s future while celebrating the town’s identity and values. | | Lower Mystic Cool Communications Call for Artists | |
In support of the Lower Mystic Cool Communications program, the Arts & Culture team released a call for artists to develop creative projects that can expand municipalities and local community-based organizations’ heat risk communication tools and augment traditional heat messaging; enable the community to share their experiences of dealing with heat, envision cooling strategies collectively, and keep engaged in the heat resiliency actions; and to identify the priorities of those residents who are disproportionately impacted by extreme heat.
Key Dates
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Application Deadline: April 4
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Selection Notification: Mid-April
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Project Completion: By the end of June
Check the project website for more information.
| | Creative Sector Advocacy Week April 28 – May 2, 2025 | | Organized by MASSCreative, join other artists, creatives, culture bearers, and advocates from across the Commonwealth for an annual, statewide week of advocacy, action, and celebration of the creative sector. Meet with elected officials, organize your networks, and celebrate the power of arts, culture, and creativity in Massachusetts. We will have a day of celebration, performance, and action at the State House on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 from 10 AM - 3 PM. Check out MASS Creative’s website for more information on how to advocate for the arts in the Commonwealth. | | | |
KEY DATES AND EVENTS
Creative Sector Advocacy Week:
- Monday, April 28th - Friday, May 2nd, 2025
Creative Sector Day at the State House:
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Wednesday, April 30th, from 10 AM - 3 PM. Register here.
MASSCreative-led trainings leading up to Advocacy Week:
- Advocacy 101: The fundamentals of advocating for the issues and communities that matter the most to you
- Tuesday, April 1st at 5 PM
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Register here.
- Advocacy 201: Building on advocacy fundamentals to prepare you to organize your communities
- Monday, April 7th at 12 PM
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Register here.
- Advocacy 301: Nonprofit do’s and don’ts for how your 501(c)(3) organization can meet this moment as a civic leader
- Friday, April 18th at 12 PM
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Register here.
| | Chelsea Black Heritage Trail Call for Artists | |
CBC is seeking artists and designers to create informative and artistic historical panels for six posts that will be part of the Chelsea Black Heritage Trail, a community-driven initiative dedicated to preserving and celebrating the contributions of Black residents to our city's history.
Application deadline: April 4, 2025
Learn more and apply here.
Please email the Chelsea Black Community with any questions at chelseablackcommunity@gmail.com
| | NEFA - Public Art Learning Fund | |
The Public Art Learning Fund provides grants of $500 to $3,000 to support professional development opportunities for New England artists to strengthen their public art practices. Through the Public Art Learning Fund, NEFA intends to foster the continued development of more equitable, inclusive, and vibrant public spaces and public life throughout New England.
Application deadline: April 14, 2025
Learn more and apply here.
| | Funding Opportunity: Mass Cultural Council’s FY26 Operating Grants | |
Mass Cultural Council has opened applications for the FY26 Operating Grants for Organizations, a program providing multi-year, unrestricted operating grants to nonprofit cultural organizations and cultural affiliates that contribute to the Commonwealth’s cultural landscape.
Application Deadline: April 17, 2025
Learn more about this opportunity here 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.
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