Feb. 21, 2019
NORTH ADAMS, MASS—Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ Berkshire Cultural Resource
Center will host a MASSCreative Local Arts Advocacy Training from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on
Feb. 25, 2019, at Gallery 51/Design Lab, 51 Main Street, North Adams.
This event is free and open to the public. Those who are interested in attending can
RSVP at http://www.mass-creative.org/19northadamsmtg.
The training is preparation for the biennial “Creativity Connects: MASSCreative Arts
Advocacy Day,” in Boston. Invited participants will discuss how to better connect
with their neighbors and lawmakers about arts and culture and will be updated on MASSCreative’s
priority policy solutions toward building a more vibrant Massachusetts through creativity
and the arts.
At the training, Director of Policy and Government Affairs Emily Ruddock will share
MASSCreative’s 2019 Policy Platform, including state and federal priorities for arts
advocacy. Tracie Konopinski, MASSCreative’s Program Director will discuss how to best
connect with neighbors and lawmakers about arts and culture, and how to build on that
relationship. Participants will also discuss how to encourage elected officials to
think about how arts and culture can play a role in addressing their priority issues.
Massachusetts State Senator Adam Hinds will round out the event by discussing how
arts and culture play a role in addressing important issues in the Berkshires including
transportation, public health and safety. State Representative John Barrett III will
also attend and speak about arts and culture in the Berkshires.
MCLA’s Fine and Performing Arts division will be taking a group of students and faculty
to Boston on March 26 for Arts Advocacy day. There, they’ll receive additional training
and participate in Arts Advocacy Day events, including a march from the Paramount
Theatre to the Capitol building. The group will also meet with staff from Sen. Hinds’
office as well as other state representatives to share their arts advocacy stories.
The training on Feb. 25 will help prepare this group for their trip to Boston—as well
as preparing the 11 students and arts management faculty for their six-day Spring
Break trip to Washington, D.C., where they will meet with aides in U.S. Senator Elizabeth
Warren’s office and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is the Commonwealth's public liberal
arts college and a campus of the Massachusetts state university system. MCLA promotes
excellence in learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity,
public service, applied knowledge, and active and responsible citizenship. MCLA graduates
are prepared to be practical problem solvers and engaged, resilient global citizens.
For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.
