News & Updates

Meet Our New Assistant Director: Lourdes Alvarez Silva

Assistant Director of Arts and Culture Lourdes Alvarez Silva holds a bouquet of tissue-paper flowers with paper leaves bearing welcome notes from MAPC staff.

We’re thrilled to welcome Lourdes Alvarez Silva as the new Assistant Director of Arts and Culture. Lourdes joins us after shaping Chelsea’s arts and cultural landscape as the city’s Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Manager. She also serves on the Chelsea Women’s Commission, continuing her dedication to community voice and leadership.

A native of Uruguay, Lourdes brings energy and vision for strengthening regional connections, sparking creative placemaking, and celebrating the diverse cultures and heritage that make our communities vibrant.

Join us in welcoming Lourdes to the team!

MAPC Research Highlighted in the Boston Globe

The Boston Globe recently published an editorial on the urgent need to preserve creative workspaces. The article draws on findings from MAPC’s Making Space for Art project, developed with Boston, Somerville, and Cambridge. Our research documented significant losses of cultural and creative space across Greater Boston and continues to shape conversations about policy solutions and community action.

Read the article here: Boston Globe – Creative Arts Spaces

Events

Art for Climate Resilience Brown Bag

Hot Topic: Reimagining Heat Hazard Mitigation Through Art and Technology

EMHCC Webinar: Exploring Historic District Bylaws, Guidelines, and Rules

Opportunities

TAP Municipal Priorities Survey 

MAPC’s Technical Assistance Program (TAP) helps the region’s 101 cities and towns address local and regional challenges through collaborative projects with MAPC staff. TAP is funded by District Local Technical Assistance, with funding typically awarded in early spring and applications accepted on a rolling basis.

We are looking for input through a short survey:

• Who should respond: municipal planners, chief executives, and other municipal staff
•  Why it matters: TAP applications must be led by municipalities, so your input is essential
• What we want to know: your priorities, barriers, and technical assistance needs for the year ahead
• Time commitment: about 10 minutes

Take the survey here.

Resources

Networking Breakfast on Creative Community Investment 

Last week, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) and Creative Collective hosted a Networking Breakfast and Conversation highlighting innovative approaches to supporting creative communities in Salem and beyond.

Panelists included Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council; Marianne Bullock, Senior Partnership Manager, Northeast, UpTogether; Turahn Dorsey, President & CEO, Eastern Bank Foundation; Felicia Pierce, CEO, North Shore CDC; and Sarah Roy, Director of the Salem Children’s Alliance, City of Salem. They shared insights on new approaches and partnership models for investing in community.

View a recording of the event 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.