Knowing that serving underserved communities starts with effective outreach and engagement strategies, the Massachusetts Cultural Council partnered with another state agency—the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services—to ensure equitable access to arts and cultural opportunities around the state for low-income residents. Through the new EBT Card…
This year is not only the 50th anniversary of the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), but also the centennial of the birth of President John F. Kennedy, a native son of Massachusetts. To honor the importance of the arts and humanities to a vibrant democracy—which was a touchstone for President Kennedy—MCC and the John F. Kennedy…
Creative Minds Out Loud is the new Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) podcast “for arts and culture nerds.” An outgrowth of MCC’s many inspiring site visits with grantees and other constituents, the podcast highlights the state’s cultural capital. Through it, MCC is trying to expand the reach of the peer-to-peer learning and support engendered by its…
Recognizing that arts accessibility is a dynamic goal—a direction more than a destination—the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) created its UP program to help arts and cultural organizations develop the insight, innovation, capacity and drive to evolve their spaces and programming to be inclusive of all audiences. UP, which stands for “universal programming” among other things,…
For many state arts agencies, underwriting artist residencies in K-12 schools has long been an effective way to support statewide arts education. The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) builds on that model through its STARS Residencies program (Students and Teachers Working with ARtists, Scientists, and Scholars). Awarding grants of $500 – $5,000, the program enables schools—public,…
There is a unique effort under way in Massachusetts to develop the potential of cultural tourism. State legislators have embarked on a listening tour in an effort to learn about local cultural tourism prospects and develop policies that strengthen the arts and arts-driven tourism. By the end of 2014, the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts…
Education policy is a complex tapestry in America, consisting of a dynamic mixture of federal, state and local resources and regulations. Within this multilayered system, many important decisions affecting the quality and availability of arts education are made at the state level. This year, a number of state legislatures introduced bills affecting arts education. Some…
This month’s edition of State to State features recently completed strategic plans from four state arts agencies. Each of these plans is different, showing the agency’s unique approach to planning and adapting its goals and objectives to address its legislative purpose, its current environment and the needs of its citizens. Vermont Arts Council Inspiring a…
Since its launch in 2008, the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s (MCC) ArtSake blog has developed into the hub of MCC’s communications with individual artists, serving as a virtual symposium for sharing the stories of MCC artist fellows and other Massachusetts artists. ArtSake allows MCC to reinforce its connections with individual artists using video and photographs supported…
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) announced the results of a new public opinion poll conducted by MassINC Polling Group. The poll was conducted as part of the Gateway Cities Innovation Network initiative, an economic revitalization collaboration between the MCC and MassINC that received an ArtPlace award last year. The survey focused on residents of gateway…
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