Arts and Culture at MAPC 2025 Fall Council Meeting | | From Left to Right: Dr. Mary K. Grant, Lourdes Alvarez Silva, MAPC Council President Erin Wortman, MAPC Executive Director Lizzi Weyant; Lafayette Cruise, Emily Ruddock, Anabelle Rondon, Rosario Ubiera-Minaya, and Jean Mineo. | | |
On Wednesday, October 29th, MAPC held its Fall Council Meeting at Robbins Memorial Auditorium in Arlington. Convening the agency's governing body, made up of representatives from the 101 cities and towns in the MAPC region, gubernatorial appointees, as well as state and City of Boston officials, the meeting focused on the importance and impact of the creative economy on the region and the state.
MAPC's Arts and Culture team activated the meeting with creative activities and moderated an engaging panel with guests Dr. Mary K. Grant, President of Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt); Anabelle Rondon, Director of the Transformative Development Initiative at MassDevelopment; Jean Mineo, Executive Director of the Bellforge Arts Center; and Rosario Ubiera-Minaya, Executive Director of Raw Art Works. Emily Ruddock, Executive Director of MASSCreative, provided a call to action for municipalities to support the Creative Space Act (H.3587/S.2334), which would give them new tools to support their local creative economies.
| | Wellesley Arts & Culture Strategy Kick-Off Meeting | | Wellesley Town Hall on a clear fall morning, captured during the recent site visit. | |
On November 19th, the Town of Wellesley and MAPC Arts and Culture staff hosted a kick-off meeting with local stakeholders as part of the planning process for the town’s first-ever Arts & Culture Strategy.
The project aims to provide the Town of Wellesley with a landscape analysis of Wellesley’s arts and cultural ecosystem that documents local stakeholders, initiatives, and assets. In addition, the project will deliver recommendations based on local context and regional positioning to guide future planning efforts and investments in Wellesley's arts and cultural community.
| | Melrose Memorial Hall Survey is now open! | | Members of the Arts and Culture team meet with Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis and Kathy Pigott-Brodeur, Executive Director of Melrose Memorial Hall, as part of the Melrose Memorial Hall facility study. | | |
The Arts and Culture team is developing a Cultural Facility Strategic Plan for the Melrose Memorial Hall. As part of our work, the team has met with City staff and conducted interviews with key individuals involved with the venue. In addition, MAPC is compiling data on the building’s use as a civic and cultural asset, its costs, and its revenue structure.
Currently, a user survey is being circulated among the Melrose community and visitors to understand the economic impact of the Memorial Hall on the Downtown economy: Melrose Memorial Hall survey. The deadline for completing the survey is December 23.
| | Upcoming: MASSCreative Artivist Town Hall | | |
MASSCreative is hosting its next Artivist Town Hall on Wednesday, December 3rd at 12:30 PM on Zoom. Open enrollment for health insurance began November 1, and the Massachusetts Health Connector will be on hand to walk through this year’s changes and answer questions so attendees can get covered before enrollment closes on January 23rd, 2026.
Register in advance to receive the Zoom details.
| | | | Funding: Submit Your Project Concept for TAP 2026! | | |
MAPC is accepting project concepts for the 2026 Technical Assistance Program (TAP).
This is an opportunity for you to work with MAPC on local programs and planning initiatives that advance regional goals. See more details on this year’s funding priorities below.
Apply by Monday, December 8th, 2025 for your project to be considered when the greatest amount of funding is available.
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.
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