Creativity is a natural resource that lives within all of us and our communities. Unlike most natural resources, our supply of creativity grows stronger the more we use it. Every time we tap it – creating, experiencing, discussing, supporting – it takes on more significance in our lives. When we neglect it, we lose one of the most important tools we have for expression and connection.
At Barr, our continued investment in the sector is informed by the belief that arts and creativity are essential to thriving communities and the constructive exchange of ideas. They present opportunities for us to embrace our collective imagination and ask each other and ourselves what kind of future we want to build together.
Why refresh strategies now?
In this moment of deep division and civic uncertainty, artists, arts organizations, and creative communities are important forces for human connection and change. With these refreshed strategies, we reaffirm our support for artistic risk-taking and leadership, deep place-based collaboration that leverages arts and creativity to welcome all communities, and greater public support for and engagement with the arts across Massachusetts.
We believe in the power of arts and creativity.
The ways that we implement these strategies are grounded in the following program-wide beliefs:
- The arts are not a luxury, but a necessity for a just, vibrant, and thriving Massachusetts.
- Creativity is a force for transformation, creating vitality in all our communities, and amplifying the voices of those who are often unheard.
- When we are our most creative selves, we claim our space in the world and shape the future we deserve.
- Artists, creative workers, culture bearers (those who practice, share, and teach cultural traditions and art forms), and the communities from which they come must be resourced with the tools to dream and the places and spaces to act.
- It is not enough to envision a better world – we must actively build it. We invest in a future ecosystem in which the arts are a living, breathing force, constantly evolving and igniting social change.
Introducing the Barr Arts + Creativity program strategies
The goal of the Barr Arts + Creativity program is to amplify the power and possibilities of the arts to inspire and realize a just and thriving Massachusetts.
Strategy 1: Elevating Arts Leadership
Barr invests in arts organizations and leaders in the cultural sector to create the conditions for artists to thrive. We envision an arts field that is nimble, adaptive, and responsive to communities – where artists, cultural workers, and communities produce courageous art. When artists have the flexibility and freedom to take risks and experiment in their artistic practice, they help us all challenge norms, reimagine existing paradigms, examine our own assumptions, and build the future we all want for Massachusetts.
Strategy 2: Cultivating Spaces of Belonging
Arts and artists create and activate spaces that bring people together. The vibrancy of these spaces shape how we relate to one another – and even how we feel about ourselves. To build a more welcoming and inclusive Massachusetts for all people, we want to contribute to more spaces owned, led, and activated by artists. We want to create more pathways for these types of creative spaces to thrive and ensure that diverse artistic expression is woven into every facet of our lives.
Strategy 3: Advocating for the Arts
Massachusetts has a proud tradition of fighting for what matters most. Moving forward, we must fight for the arts as a crucial force in all of our communities right now. The steep decrease in federal arts funding, unaffordable cost of living, and rising social and political polarization have created new pressures across the creative sector. Even so, the arts and culture continue to play a critical role in driving community resilience, economic renewal, and civic participation.
Looking ahead
These refreshed strategies are a dynamic invitation to our partners and the philanthropic sector to imagine and build a future in which creativity thrives in every single community across Massachusetts. Through the arts, we can better understand our neighbors, more deeply empathize with the challenges of other communities, and share with the world what we care about most – what makes each one of us who we are.
The work ahead is challenging; the opportunity is extraordinary. When we invest in creativity, we invest in our very own humanity, we invest in a society that is vibrant and inclusive, we invest in a future shaped by the collective imagination of all of us together.
We’d love to keep you updated as these strategies unfold. Please subscribe to our Arts + Creativity newsletter to stay in touch.
