You might not even realize it’s happening!
The mural you pass on your way to work. The live music drifting out of your favorite restaurant on a Thursday night. The handmade sign in the coffee shop window. The photographer who captured your kid’s first birthday. The designer who made your business feel real when they handed you that logo.
You don’t think about the potter whose bowl sits on your kitchen counter. The jeweler whose earrings you wore to your best friend’s wedding. The gallery that gave you a reason to wander downtown on a rainy Saturday. The festival that made you fall in love with your town in the first place.
It’s all just there, woven into the fabric of our days. It’s what makes this place feel like home!!
We barely notice it sometimes because it’s everywhere we look.
Creativity is in the storefronts that make you slow down, rather than drive past. It’s in the spaces where strangers become neighbors. It’s in the events that give your community a reason to gather, to celebrate, to remember who we are together.
It shapes our sense of place. It shapes our well-being. It shapes the answer to the question: Why do I want to live here?
But here’s the thing: right now, all of this is at risk.
Can you imagine Essex County without any of this? I can’t—and I don’t want to!
The creative sector in Massachusetts is facing real challenges right now. That means our members, our neighborhoods, and our local economy are all feeling it.
Looking ahead to 2026, Creative Collective is all in on something we’re calling creative non-compliance! It’s our way of shaking things up and pushing back against anything that tries to shrink the role of arts, culture, and creativity in Massachusetts.
That’s why we’re SO proud to stand with MASSCreative—and why we’re inviting every business owner, maker, and community builder in our network to join us!
What Is MASSCreative?
MASSCreative is Massachusetts’ statewide arts advocacy organization. Since 2012, they’ve been organizing artists, creatives, cultural organizations, creative businesses, and elected officials to advocate for a more equitable, inclusive, and well-resourced creative sector.
Their vision is a Massachusetts where arts, culture, and creativity are “an expected, well-funded and valued part of everyday life”—recognized for their significant impact on civic engagement and economically vibrant, equitable communities.
Sound familiar? It should.
Why This Matters to Creative Collective
At Creative Collective, we talk constantly about the creative economy. Our 350+ members span the full spectrum of what makes Essex County vibrant: galleries, makers, artisans, cultural venues, downtown retailers, restaurants that double as community gathering spaces, consultants who fuel creative businesses, and so much more.
The creative sector isn’t just a niche—it’s the heartbeat of our communities!
In Massachusetts alone, the creative sector delivers:
- $27.2 billion in economic value
- 135,181 jobs
- 4.2% of the state’s entire economy
When arts funding gets cut, it’s not just about some abstract idea—it’s about real people. It’s our members’ livelihoods, the energy in our downtowns, and the spark that makes people want to live, work, and visit Essex County.
The Crisis Is Here
Let’s get real about what’s going on.
In May 2025, the Trump administration proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Hours after that announcement, the NEA began sending termination notices to arts organizations across the country—canceling grants that had already been approved.
In Massachusetts alone:
- $2.8 million in grants have been terminated or rescinded
- 40 grants were canceled (72.5% from the NEA)
- 621 jobs were fully or partially supported by those rescinded grants
- 76% of organizations hadn’t received their full grant when it was yanked—leaving them with $1 million in unreimbursed expenses
Organizations like Castle of Our Skins (a Black-led Boston performing arts group), MASS MoCA, Project STEP (which provides music instruction to underrepresented communities), and dozens more received termination notices. Some were told their work “no longer serves the interest of the United States.”
This isn’t just a “what if.” It’s happening right now.
And here’s the really tough part: 40% of folks in MASSCreative’s survey said they’re not sure—or won’t even bother to apply—for the next NEA grant. 35% have already changed or held back their programming because they’re worried.
When creativity feels risky, and artists start holding back just to stay safe, that’s not the Massachusetts we know. That’s not the creative economy we’re building together.
Our Partnership with MASSCreative
Creative Collective isn’t just talking about this—we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting it done.
- We are members of MASSCreative (You can join here)
- We serve on this year’s Advocacy Day Committee
- We’ve partnered with MASSCreative on policy education, including our Creative Economy Advocacy Series with the Peabody Essex Museum
- We amplify their calls to action across our 100,000+ social media reach
Why? Because advocacy isn’t some extra thing—it’s business support, plain and simple.
When MASSCreative fights for increased funding to the Mass Cultural Council, that’s money flowing to our members. When they advocate for the Creative Space Act, that’s protecting the studios and storefronts where our members create. When they build coalitions across the state, they’re amplifying the voice of Essex County’s creative economy.
This is what real peer-to-peer power looks like—right where it counts.
The Creative Sector Agenda: Bills That Matter
MASSCreative doesn’t just advocate generally—they organize around specific legislation. Here’s what’s on the table for 2025-2026:
The Creative Space Act (H.3587/S.2334)
Establishes “creative space” and “presentation space” as land restriction designations, protecting studios, galleries, and maker spaces from displacement. Creates the option for municipalities to establish Creative Space Trust Funds to acquire and maintain creative properties.
Why it matters to you: If you’re a maker, artist, or creative business owner worried about rising rents pushing you out, this bill creates fundamental protections.
The PLACE Act (H.3592/S.2332)
Dedicates a percentage of public construction costs on Commonwealth-owned property to a public art fund—creating and maintaining public art across Massachusetts.
Why does this matter? Public art isn’t just for looks—it’s what gets people to stop, hang out, and support our downtown businesses.
The ACE Act
Creates a grant program to help arts and cultural organizations make their programs and facilities more accessible to people with disabilities.
Why does this matter? The more accessible our creative economy is, the stronger we all are. That’s it.
These bills came from MASSCreative’s statewide listening sessions—honest feedback from artists, creative workers, and cultural organizations about what they actually need.
What You Can Do Right Now
1. Join the MASSCreative Action Network
This is MASSCreative’s grassroots crew! You’ll get action alerts, find out about advocacy opportunities, and add your voice to the mix.
→ Join at mcan-ma.org/join
2. Get Involved with Advocacy Week 2026!
Mark your calendars! Creative Sector Advocacy Week is March 2-6, 2026, with Creative Sector Day at the State House on Tuesday, March 3rd.
Creative Collective is on the Advocacy Day Committee this year, and we’re SO excited to help make this a true grassroots, statewide effort. Here’s how YOU can get involved:
Apply to Perform or Exhibit at the State House! MASSCreative is looking for artists, cultural organizations, and creative businesses to perform or exhibit at the State House on March 3rd. Performances and displays will be open to the public from 1-3 PM, and all selected participants receive a $300 stipend for their work. (Massachusetts-based only.)
→ Apply by January 14th at 5 PM: mass-creative.org/advocacy-week
Host a Local Event! Want to organize something in your community? Past events have included letter-writing campaigns before theater performances, roundtables with elected officials, art-making for community change, and teach-ins on policies affecting the creative sector. Get creative with it!
→ Submit your idea by January 30th at 5 PM to be added to the statewide directory
Attend an Advocacy Training Webinar MASSCreative is hosting several webinars to help you make the most of Advocacy Week:
- Art & Democracy: Where We Are and Where We’re Going – Wednesday, January 21st at 12 PM
- Activating Your Community – Tuesday, January 27th at 1 PM
- How Nonprofits Can (and Can’t) Lobby and Advocate – Thursday, February 12th at 12 PM
→ Get training links and more resources at mass-creative.org/advocacy-week
3. Endorse the Creative Sector Agenda Bills
Add your name or your organization’s name to the public endorsement lists for the Creative Space Act, PLACE Act, and ACE Act.
→ Visit mcan-ma.org/take-action/legislativeagenda
4. Contact Your Legislators
MASSCreative has all the tools and templates you need to make this easy. Let your state reps and senators know the creative sector matters to you—whether you’re a business owner, employer, or just someone who cares about your community.
→ Find your legislators at malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator—just enter your address and you’ll get their contact info in seconds
5. Tell Your Story
The most powerful thing you can share? Your real story. How has your creative business made a difference in your community? What would you lose if the creative economy shrank? MASSCreative and our legislators need to hear from you!
→ Share your story on social media and tag us @creativecollectivema and @masscreative so we can amplify your voice
6. Give to MASSCreative
Advocacy groups like MASSCreative run on donations. If you can chip in, you’re helping build the foundation that keeps all of us strong.
→ Give at mass-creative.org/give
Creative Non-Compliance
Here’s what we believe at Creative Collective—loud and clear:
When the federal government tells artists that their work “no longer serves the interest of the United States,” we refuse to comply with that definition of America.
When funding is yanked from organizations serving Black communities, immigrant communities, and disability communities—and redirected toward some narrow vision of “American heritage”—we refuse to accept that our members don’t count.
When the chilling effect silences creators before they even begin, we refuse to be quiet.
Creative non-compliance isn’t about chaos—it’s about smart, intentional disruption.
It’s about building coalitions, funding advocacy, showing up at Beacon Hill, and making our case—with data, stories, and our collective economic power. The creative sector isn’t optional. It’s essential.
MASSCreative has been doing this work for over a decade. They’ve built relationships, developed policy expertise, and created the organizational infrastructure that makes our voice heard.
We’re proud to stand with MASSCreative—and we’re asking you to stand with us, too!
The Bottom Line
The creative economy doesn’t just happen to us. We build it together—through our work, our businesses, our purchases, our votes, and our advocacy.
When 350+ businesses in Essex County show up for the creative sector, we’re not just members—we’re a real political force.
2026 is coming fast. The federal attacks aren’t stopping. The need for strong state-level advocacy is only getting bigger.
Creative Collective is ready for creative non-compliance. Are you in?
Questions about advocacy or getting involved? Reach out to us at [contact info] or connect with MASSCreative directly at info@mass-creative.org.
Creative Collective is proud to serve on MASSCreative’s 2025 Advocacy Day Committee and to partner with them on policy education initiatives, including our Creative Economy Advocacy Series with the Peabody Essex Museum.
Related Resources:
- MASSCreative Action Network
- 2025-2026 Creative Sector Agenda
- Federal Funding Cuts: What We Know
- Mass Cultural Council
This story comes from the Creative Collective community – Essex County businesses who believe when we thrive together, our whole region becomes more vibrant. We’re entrepreneurs, creators, and service providers across all industries, collaborating to build the community we want to be part of. If you see your business as more than just commerce – as a way to contribute to our regional ecosystem – you belong here. Discover how to join our community →
