Current Opportunities for artists
One of the core missions of the Springfield Cultural Partnership is to make the District a more attractive place for artists to live, work, and play. We understand that the current social distancing guidelines in regards to the COVID-9 pandemic have caused many cancellations, rescheduling and overall financial impact to artists and other creatives alike. Below are several links to current resources, information & tools for artists, organizations and the creative community as a whole.
AES is offering an Introduction to Arts Management course reveals how diverse funding, authentic community engagement, and entrepreneurial practices work together to create a healthy nonprofit or creative business that serves your community. Classes begin August 24th!
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Want to be a certified leader? Earn a Leadership Certificate in Arts Management - provides advanced skills & cutting edge knowledge for emerging arts managers
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Check out the AES Resource list during COVID-19
Artists: Public Art Learning Fund provides grants of $500-$2,000 to support New England artists to strengthen their public art practices.
Organizations: There will be three distinct grant opportunities for New England nonprofit organizations to apply through the NEST (New England States Touring)
The APPLICATION DEADLINE for both grants is November 16, 2020. If you have questions about your started application, we encourage you to sign up for Spatial Justice Grants Office Hours
MassDevelopment announced their Real Estate Services Technical Assistance FY21 Call for Proposals
The offered opportunities range from: Master Planning and Visioning for Sites and/or Districts, Local District Management Technical Assistance, RFP/Q Development and Process Management and several more! Learn more
The submission deadline for proposals is
Friday, September 14, 2020.
MassDevelopment Brownfields Redevelopment Fund
Now Open! Eligible applicants may apply for up to $100,000 in site assessment funding, or up to $250,000 in remediation funding.
The deadline for application submissions for this solicitation is September 18, 2020. Awards will be announced in November 2020.
APPLY HERE
The Springfield Museums present a Community Call for Portraits that will result in the exhibit This Is Us: Regional Portraiture Today at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts October 24, 2020–April 4, 2021.
APPLY HERE
The 2021 Grant Cycle Artists Fellowship Grant process is
TBD - Stay updated on the application process
Artists are encouraged to check out what's new on the Mass Cultural Council ARTSAKE opportunities & resources.
Mass Cultural Council announced their 2020 Universal Participation Initiative (UP) Award - a five part live streamed virtual celebration highlighting excellence throughout the Commonwealth’s cultural sector.
Americans for the Arts & other funders announced the creation of the Artist Relief Fund - $10 million national emergency relief fund for artists and creative workers LEARN MORE & APPLY
Also, share your experience during the coronavirus pandemic! ECONOMIC IMPACT SURVEY & ARTISTS & CREATIVE WORKERS SURVEY
VALLEY ARTS NEWSLETTER - Listings are still being updated on the website. Artists and galleries/venues: send your virtual/online classes and exhibits for the listings.
Their new Valley Artist Directory is still growing - artists please send your details. Any galleries and small shops that are selling the work of local artists and makers are also welcome. The list of resources are being updated on Facebook and Linktree.
Springfield Symphony Orchestra has established the Musicians’ Relief Fund to aid and support our wonderful musicians. You can help. LEARN MORE
The SSO Musicians’ Relief Fund has been created to financially aid and support the Springfield Symphony Orchestra musicians whose livelihoods have been adversely affected by the current Covid-19 global pandemic.
Make-It Springfield is showing available virtual workshops & programming. Follow their Facebook for more information & explore the creative activities offered.
SPRINGFIELD’S CREATIVE ECONOMY
Springfield-specific RESOURCES & opportunities:
Artists of Springfield, MA- Visit the Artists of Springfield MA Facebook page to find local artist opportunities, meet-ups and support.
In Need of a Venue for your event, performance or show? Look no further than Springfield!
Space at Make It Springfield - Make It Springfield, a makerspace located within the District, is open for memberships! A monthly fee affords you access to the space, hosting workshops, and an option to sublet private space. Rentals are also available for hourly usage or events.
SPRINGFIELD EVENT VENUES:
Community Music School of Springfield
East Springfield Community Center
Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services Center
Statewide & NATIONAL GRANTS, RESOURCES & opportunities:
ArtSake is the Mass Cultural Council’s online resource to support Massachusetts artists. MCC compiles a weekly list of opportunities for artists - a way to find your next contest, artist residency, call to artists, publication, and more. For artists and creatives in need of health insurance, the MCC highlights the state's Health Connector and its ConnectorCare Program.
City of Boston Artist Residency– The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), and the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics invite artists to apply to Boston AIR to become one of ten artists-in-residence at the City of Boston.Through Boston AIR, artists are supported as agents of reflection, collaboration, and activism, whether through process-oriented practice, direct community engagement, or as leaders of systemwide change projects at BCYF and other City agencies.
Creative Ground - Promote yourself or your organization to a broad audience of arts and non-arts organizations and individuals both within and outside of New England looking for collaborators, commissions, performers, grant recipients, and more. Creative Ground is not only New England’s cultural directory, but is also the cultural directory for Vermont, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.Creative Ground is a statewide artist database used by many organizations to locate, contact, and hire creative workers for everything from custom paintings and installations to logo and graphic design. Register with Creative Ground for the opportunity to be found! We require all SCCD-hired artists to register on this database. Create your listing!
Hire Culture - A free, searchable database of arts, humanities, and science employment opportunities in MA.
Make-It Springfield - Make-It Springfield is a community incubator and workshop space for everyone to make, create & share their skills and tools. Make-It provides a platform for community members of all backgrounds to learn new skills, build relationships, launch businesses & inspire one another.
MassCreative- works to build a more vibrant, healthy and equitable Massachusetts. MASSCreative works with artists, leaders, supporters, and partners of the arts, cultural, and creative community to advocate for the resources and support necessary for the sector to thrive.
Mass Cultural Council (MCC) - partners with artists, communities, educators, and organizations to unleash the power of culture across Massachusetts. Find out about all of our programs. MCC’s online Gallery of past Fellows and Finalists from our Artist Fellowships - now with over 3,000 works of art.
Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowships and Grants – Fellowships and grants in several categories are available to artists all calendar year long. Check back to this website for featured opportunities as new grants often come up.
New England Foundation for the Arts - In 2020, NEFA is implemented a new application system; learn about the progress and what to expect. NEFA offers grants to artists and organizations to support the creation and presentation of work. Other opportunities and resources that connect and strengthen the creative sector include online tools, convenings, and research publications. NEFA offers several Grants opportunities and information on New England’s Creative Economy.
National Endowment for the Arts - The NEA is the leading national organization supporting arts and culture. They provide year round grant opportunities to organizations, individuals, and partnerships.
Professional Development Residency Program - Apply for MASS MoCA’s new residency program for artists & writers - the Studios at MASS MoCA — in North Adams, MA, for 1-8 week sessions available.
The Puffin Foundation - provides Artist Grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy. Fine Arts and Video/Film must be the primary category of the project. The Fine Arts category includes a broad range of creative endeavors such as painting, drawing, weaving, crafts, collage and sculpture.
SpaceFinder - A resource to find space to use for rehearsals, studio art, audio recording, and much more for artists in MA. Need to find or list creative space? Check out Mass Cultural Council-supported creative space resources.
UMass Arts Extension - The Arts Extension Service is a national arts organization working to provide resources such as education, research, publications and consulting for arts professionals and in arts management.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts - Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Massachusetts provides legal services, advice, and educational programming to artists and cultural organizations in MA. The VLA accomplishes its mission through the work of a panel of more than 500 attorneys who volunteer their time and services to provide legal counsel, education, and organizational support to the MA arts community.
WAGE Certification - A program operated and owned by Working Artists and the Greater Economy to set wage standards for artists and creative workers nationally. This tool can be used to price out work or set a fair wage for your work.
THE CREATIVE ECONOMY
United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD)
“UNCTAD has introduced the topic of the "creative economy" in the world economic and development agenda.
The creative economy is an emerging concept dealing with the interface between creativity, culture, economics and technology in a contemporary world dominated by images, sounds, texts and symbols.
Today, the creative industries are among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy providing new opportunities for developing countries to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy.
In implementing its mandate, UNCTAD has been proactive in promoting international action in the area of the creative industries, and hence, the creative economy, emphasizing their development dimension.
The creative industries are at the crossroads of the arts, culture, business and technology. All these activities are intensive in creative skills and can generate income through trade and intellectual property rights.”