Creative Tools for Heat Resilience | | Dr. Annis Sengupta presenting MAPC’s Cool it with Art guide. | | |
Creative practice is changing how planners address extreme heat. At the APA’s Hot Topic: Reimagining Heat Hazard Mitigation Through Art and Technology webinar, Dr. Annis Sengupta (MAPC Director of Arts + Culture) shared lessons from MAPC’s 2021 Cool it With Art guide on communicating heat risk and shaping practical mitigation. The program also featured Claudia Zarazua (Director of Arts and Cultural Planning, City of Cambridge) presenting “Shade is Social Justice” a project funded in part through MAPC's Accelerating Climate Resilience grant program. Claudia helped develop Cool it With Art while at MAPC.
If you missed the webinar, you can watch it here.
| | Closing Keynote: The Art of Connection | | MAPC Arts & Culture Director Dr. Annis Sengupta delivering the closing keynote at the Washington State APA Conference in Tacoma, WA. | | Dr. Annis Sengupta (MAPC Director of Arts + Culture), delivered the closing keynote at the Washington State APA Conference on October 10th. Her talk, The Art of Connection: Bringing Public Art Into Planning, explored how creative practice can advance community well-being, economic vitality, and more connected places. Drawing on recent research and MAPC’s projects, she encouraged planners to integrate artists and cultural approaches into the core of planning work. | MAPC Testifies in Support of SPACE & PLACE Acts | Emily Ruddock and Dr. Annis Sengupta testify before the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development in support of the Space and Place Acts. | |
On October 21, 2025, Director of Arts and Culture, Dr. Annis Sengupta, joined MassCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock to testify before the members of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development in support of the H.3587/S.2334 (Creative Space Act) and H.3592/S.2332 (PLACE Act).
These bills would provide communities with the resources to grow the creative work and cultural production that makes the Commonwealth healthy and vibrant. The hearing also counted with the participation of several artists and arts organizations across the Commonwealth.
Written testimony may be submitted by emailing the Committee’s House Research Director and the Senate Chair’s Staff at JointCommittee.Tourism&CulturalDevelopment@malegislature.gov. Please use the subject line “Written Testimony – TACD 10/21/25"
Watch the recording here.
To read the fact sheets:
Learn more on how to support the proposed bills at MassCreative's website.
| | Did You Miss It? EMHCC Webinar on Historic District Bylaws, Guidelines, and Rules | | |
More than 100 people joined our recent EMHCC webinar, Exploring Historic District Bylaws, Guidelines, and Rules. The session looked at how local preservation regulations can evolve to reflect today’s legal context, including state climate and housing laws, while maintaining clarity and fairness for applicants.
You can catch the full recording here.
| | MAPC 2025 Fall Council Meeting (in-person) | | 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 8, 2025 for your project to be considered when the greatest amount of funding is available.
Learn more and apply here.
| | Funding: Mass Cultural Council Cultural District Investment Grants | | |
Cultural District Investment Grants are available to Massachusetts cities and towns to encourage the development and success of their state-designated Cultural Districts.
Application Deadline: October 30, 2025
Award Notifications: November 2025
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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