At both a community and national level, we know that arts budgets are often the first cut and the last restored. In Massachusetts, government support dipped below 10 million dollars in 2010, down dramatically from 28 million just a decade before.
MASSCreative was established in 2012 to reverse this trend and it has been making the case for the arts, alongside its grassroots network of 25,000 arts and culture supporters, ever since. MASSCreative works with artists, leaders, supporters, and partners of the arts, cultural, and creative community to advocate for the resources necessary for the sector to thrive. So they were a natural partner for Creating Connection’s two-year learning cohort in Massachusetts—an effort that gave them the research and tools necessary to help them evolve messaging and tactics to align with existing public values.
This model of working with a group of other arts organizations also reinforced to the MASSCreative team that they are part of a much broader movement and network that understands the power of creative expression in building more vibrant, healthy, and connected communities.
According to founding Executive Director Matt Wilson, being a part of Creating Connection “was a great opportunity to work with arts and cultural leaders in Massachusetts and talk about how MASSCreative deepens its work and shares ideas and strategies. MASSCreative was able to tap into the data and research that bring value to the organization. It really helped the team decide who to target and what message we put out there to strengthen the power of the organization.”
A message refresh
This new lens inspired MASSCreative to rethink how they communicate across platforms:
Public education
They integrated the Creating Connection message framework into their communications and training materials including a general promotional brochure, an annual report, advocacy day posts on social media, in-person donor engagement, press releases, op-eds, and much more.
Connecting to community wellbeing
MASSCreative’s advocacy approach also taps the benefits people derive from creative expression. For example, they penned a letter to the editor, The arts as an antidote to loneliness, demonstrating how to reframe the case for creativity around deeply held public values such as health and community wellbeing.
Organizing differently
MASSCreative didn’t stop at messaging. During their time in the cohort they also began integrating the framework into strategy and programming:
What’s next for MASSCreative
Although they have completed their trainings with Creating Connection, Interim Executive Director Emily Ruddock assured us that their work is not over. ”Right now, we’re using the tools and strategies we gained through the Creating Connection Massachusetts Cohort to inform our strategic planning efforts. We are going beyond messaging and integrating Creative Connection thinking throughout our entire organization. Our work as a member of the cohort was vital to the formation of our new Policy Platform and has influenced our approach to building a grassroots movement--one that is a broader and more intersectional in support of creative expression for everyone in Massachusetts.”
Watch MASSCreative staff present on our Creating Connection in Action Webinar
Banner image and gallery photos are courtesy of MASSCreative.