Mass Cultural Council

Last week the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced their list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2026. We are pleased to announce with MassDevelopment that the fourth place on the list, the Swansea Friends Meeting House in Somerset, MA, built in 1701, has been awarded a $184,300 Fund Capital grant to support exterior restorations.

This award will help bring the Meeting House closer to preserving the building and opening to the public as a community cultural center.

https://massculturalcouncil.org/blog/cultural-facilities-fund-delivers-8-7m-for-capital-improvements/

Friends of Somerset Historic Preservation

Next Wednesday, June 3: Join us for "Creative Space DNA: Creating Space for the Arts," a panel discussion exploring how the arts, nonprofits, and cultural institutions find and create space throughout the region.

5pm at the ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, Inc. (501 Boylston St, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02116).

Register: https://massculturalcouncil.org/event/creative-space-dna-creating-space-for-the-arts/

Hosted in partnership with the ArtsStayHere Coalition, Boston Society for Architecture, and ARC/ Architectural Resources Cambridge.

Creative Space DNA: Creating Space for the Arts – Mass Cultural Council Time 5pm Join Mass Cultural Council, the ArtsStayHere Coalition, Boston Society for Architecture, and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge for a panel

We'll be participating in MASSCreative's 2026 Creative Sector Summit. Learn more: https://www.mass-creative.org/summit

When we ask creatives and arts leaders what our sector needs to thrive, the #1 thing we always hear is “more money.” But how can arts and culture leaders tap into more non-arts funding sources?

Dr. Erik Holmgren and Carolyn Cole at Mass Cultural Council, and Dr. Annis Sengupta at Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) are leading a session on this topic at this year's Creative Sector Summit on June 12th.

Their session "The Creative Workaround: Funding Civic Solutions with Non-Arts Dollars" is an opportunity for Summit goers to develop real plans to leverage cross-sector partnerships and resources. Participants will seed grant ideas and receive real-time guidance to pursue new resources.

This session will be available for a hybrid audience! Reserve your in-person or virtual tickets today for the 2026 Creative Sector Summit to attend this session and more. https://www.mass-creative.org/summit

Check out: "Reflections on the Bicentennial, Boy Scouts, and America’s 250th." Acting Executive Director Dave Slatery's essay for Mass Humanities' “People’s Guide to the Revolution.”

Reflections on the Bicentennial, Boy Scouts, and America's 250th – Mass Cultural Council Acting Executive Director David Slatery's essay for Mass Humanities' “People’s Guide to the Revolution”

On the Blog: Artist and curator Shelby Feltoon and restaurateur Holly Heslop on shaping meaningful local collaborations.
Cambridge Common

Arts & Business Insights: Cambridge Common Restaurant – Mass Cultural Council Artist and curator Shelby Feltoon and restaurateur Holly Heslop on shaping meaningful local collaborations

Se destinan $8.6 millones a mejoras de infraestructura en 97 instalaciones culturales en Massachusetts Mass Cultural Council y MassDevelopment anunciaron $8,67 millones en grants para 97 organizaciones culturales de Massachusetts. El Jamaica Plain Multicultural After School Arts Program recibirá $200.000 para renovar su nueva sede.

We are incredibly proud of our Community Initiative - Mass Cultural Council's Program Manager, Lisa Simmons for being recognized as one of Greater Boston's 50 Most Influential People of Color in Hospitality & Tourism at Get Konnected!'s 18th Anniversary this past Tuesday. Congratulations, Lisa!

The initiative recognizes individuals whose leadership, creativity, and resilience power Boston’s hospitality, travel, tourism, and meeting planning industries—an industry that employs tens of thousands of workers and is a major driver of the city’s economy.
Photos by Three Circles Studio.
Learn more: https://www.getkonnected.com/gk-18th-anniversary

Artweek Berkshires returns May 15 to 25, 2026! Learn more:

On the Blog ➡️ Arts & Culture is Economic Development.

We are thrilled to see our partners in the Healey-Driscoll Administration embrace our belief that arts, culture, and creativity are not a luxury, but a core sector that impacts the Commonwealth’s economic competitiveness and success.

Arts & Culture is Economic Development – Mass Cultural Council Mass Wins Act bolsters cultural sector with policy and new public investments

Fantastic way to start our week! Thank you to state Representative Steve Owens, House Vice Chair of Tourism, Arts & Cultural Development and his colleague state Representative John Lawn for inviting our Acting Executive Director David Slatery and Council Chair Ché Anderson to Watertown to tour the Mosesian Center for the Arts - a FY26 Gaming Mitigation Fund award recipient.

If you haven't been - add a visit to your list! This facility is a gem in Watertown's vibrant cultural ecosystem, offering gallery spaces, a black box theater and a larger main stage, as well as various meeting, convening, and artist workspaces. Learn more at https://www.mosesianarts.org/

📸 Left to Right: Liz Helfer - City of Watertown Public Arts & Culture Planner, Rep. Steve Owens, Acting Executive Director Dave Slatery, Chair Ché Anderson, Aliana de la Guardia - Executive Director of Mosesian Center for the Arts, Matt Jatkola - Associate Executive Director of Mosesian Center for the Arts, Roberta Miller - Chair of the Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee, Rep. John Lawn.

Last Friday our Berkshire County kicked off ArtWeek Berkshires ! AND we joined the festivities by celebrating the $3M in state dollars that Mass Cultural Council is investing into communities, organizations, and individuals throughout Berkshire County this year.

We thank Sen Paul Mark, State Representative John Barrett and Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier for their leadership and support of the ; and we also thank our hosts at the Norman Rockwell Museum, our MASSCreative partners, and all grantees who joined us.