Creative Sector
ADVOCACY WEEK
Image of Will Dailey performing at Creative Sector Day 2024. Photography by Steph Craig Studios.
Join artists, creatives, culture bearers, and advocates from across the Commonwealth for an annual, statewide week of advocacy, action, and celebration of the creative sector. Meet with elected officials, organize your networks, and celebrate the power of arts, culture, and creativity in Massachusetts.
JOIN CREATIVE SECTOR ADVOCACY WEEK 2025
Find an event near you:
Creative Sector Advocacy Week 2025 is happening April 28th - May 2nd, 2025. We will have a day of celebration, performance, and action at the State House on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 from 10 AM - 3 PM.
This is a year for action. We have a lot to be proud of when it comes to the creative sector that we have built - Massachusetts is the third most arts-vibrant state in the nation, our elected leaders continue to invest in state-level programs that support creativity, and our coalition is cultivating more arts and culture champions in elected offices. We also know that the sector faces significant external threats and that strained government budgets will make decisions about public investments more challenging.
Advocacy, community organizing, and creative joy are essential right now. Creative Sector Advocacy Week is an opportunity for members of Massachusetts’ creative sector to unify, invest in advocacy skills development, and organize public support around projects, programs, and policy solutions that will protect and strengthen the sector.
Throughout Creative Sector Advocacy Week and in the month leading up to the celebration, we will co-organize trainings to support you in engaging with your elected officials, amplify activations that are happening near your community, and spotlight examples of creative and collective joy. This week is about demonstrating the strength, diversity, vibrancy, and value of our creative sector. We hope you will join us.
GET INVOLVED
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On April 30th from 10 AM - 3 PM, members of the arts and cultural community from across the Commonwealth will join together at the State House to celebrate the contributions of artists, cultural organizations, creative businesses, and arts workers to Massachusetts.
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MASSCreative is providing different opportunities to meet the 2025-2026 Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development. Register for these upcoming Artivist Town Halls to meet our Senate and House Co-Chairs:
On April 2nd, we hosted Sen. Paul Mark (D-Becket), our returning Senate Co-Chair of the Joint Committee. You can find the recording of the conversation here.
Join us on Wednesday, April 16th at 1:30 PM to meet Rep. Sean Garballey (D-Arlington), our new House Co-Chair of the Joint Committee. Register here. -
MASSCreative is hosting three virtual trainings in April to support your advocacy leadership development:
ADVOCACY 101
Tuesday, April 1st from 5 - 6:30 PM
Everyone can (and should!) be an advocate. To co-create an arts and culture sector that is more equitable and resilient, we need more people to see themselves as arts advocates and take action.
The Advocacy 101 training is about equipping you with the foundational skills you need to advocate for the issues and communities that matter the most to you. This training is designed to prepare you to make the most of Creative Sector Advocacy Week 2025. Watch the Advocacy 101 recording here.
ADVOCACY 201
Monday, April 7th from 12 - 1:30 PM
The Advocacy 201 training builds on the foundation of the Advocacy 101 session. In Advocacy 201, we will prepare you to take the lead in organizing your networks and communities. We’ll cover how to turn your network into an advocacy powerhouse, coordinate advocacy meetings with your elected officials, and use your social media platforms to help folks take action on the things you care about most. Watch Advocacy 201 to learn more
ADVOCACY 301: NONPROFIT DO’S AND DON’TSFriday, April 18th from 12 - 1 PM
Join Jessica Seney, Senior Policy Associate of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, and Luke Blackadar, Deputy Director of Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston Inc. and manager of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, for this session on how your 501(c)(3) organization can meet this moment as a civic leader and center for advocacy movement building. This training is designed for cultural nonprofit leaders, government affairs and communications staff, and board members. Register for Advocacy 301
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Advocacy for the creative community can’t be limited to one day or one location. This is why we are eager to support community-focused advocacy events hosted throughout the Commonwealth so that more folks can participate.
MASSCreative is working with regional and local creative community leaders to host Advocacy Week events across the state. We are eager to partner with individuals and organizations who will dream of and execute local events. -
Letters to the editor (LTEs) and opinion editorials (op-eds) are free and direct ways of communicating with a lot of people about cultural policy issues and things that are impacting your creative community. Authoring a LTE or op-ed is an effective way to attract a larger audience to your issue and sustain conversations about your given priority.
Creative Sector Advocacy Week is a great time to submit a LTE or op-ed about your cultural policy priorities to your local publication. Think about the kind of impact we could have during Advocacy Week if advocates submitted letters to newspapers throughout Massachusetts!
Get involved with Creative Sector Advocacy Week by submitting a LTE or op-ed to your local publication. Visit our blog to review the LTE and op-ed guide.
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The more people who get involved during Advocacy Week, the greater our impact. We will need volunteers to help run this year’s day of celebration at the State House on April 30th. You can participate by helping with setup, breaking down, and checking people in.
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Last year's Creative Sector Advocacy Week was possible thanks to support from the Mass Cultural Council.
RESOURCES
ADVOCACY WEEK SPONSORS
Thank you to the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Mass Cultural Council and The Boston Foundation for supporting Creative Sector Advocacy Week.
QUESTIONS?
Have any questions about Creative Sector Advocacy Week? Please click here to send an email.