Dig into New England's Free Directory
of Creative Enterprises and Artists
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When I was one, I had just begun.
When I was two, I was nearly new.
When I was three, I was hardly me.
When I was four, I was not much more.
When I was five, I was just alive.
But now I am six, I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.
~A.A. Milne
Happy 6th Birthday to CreativeGround! This year was filled with discoveries that have led to a 2020 (and beyond) vision for this fertile community. Thank you for being a part of what makes CreativeGround and the creative economy of New England so special.
Read on for fun facts and figures, upgrade updates, featured profiles, and upcoming opportunities.
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Reflecting on the Seeds of Year Six
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Year six had the CreativeGround team dreaming big about what this community can achieve in the future, and you kept us grounded by demonstrating what a fertile creative community we currently have here in New England.
Read on for some fun data points that the team has harvested from the community garden of CreativeGround in the last year – such strong roots for us all to deepen and grow together.
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"Molecules of Music_Data" by
Ellen Hackl Fagan
. ink, graphite, acrylic, nail polish, enamel, gouache on clay board
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Cotton lycra tubes of fabric on board
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We are excited to announce that we have secured funding to enhance NEFA's creative economy work and our support of the New England Creative Economy Network, with CreativeGround as its primary tool.
We'll keep you posted as the exact timeline comes together, but the following changes will take place over the coming year:
- Upgrades to the CreativeGround platform to make it more accessible, and mobile and user-friendly
- Hiring a new staff person to join NEFA's Creative Economy department
- More opportunities for creative community building online and offline
- New ways to engage with CreativeGround/the New England Creative Economy Network on social media
- The formation of a New England Creative Economy Advisors group
Stay tuned for more details.
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The Creative Economy Corner of our newsletter defines terms, statistics, and resources involved in the study of the creative sector.
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Sources for Creative Economy Data
There are different ways to assess the strength of the creative economy. Arts/culture nonprofit economic impact is one way. Quantifying the jobs of the whole creative economy (nonprofit, for profit, and individuals) is another.
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Annual Extract of Tax-Exempt Organization Financial Data, Internal Revenue Service
- Exempt Organizations Business Master File, IRS
- County Business Patterns (CBP) Census Bureau
- Nonemployer Statistics (NES), Census Bureau
- Occupational Employment Statistics, BLS
- ESRI Business Analyst/Infogroup business lists
- American Community Survey
- Creatives Count Survey, NEFA
For more detailed explanations of the pros and cons of each, read the Methodology section of the
Jobs Report.
ACTION ALERT: As you can see, some creative economy data comes from the Census Bureau, and 2020 is a Census year. Artists, please consider filling out the Census to be sure you get counted.
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On the CreativeGround with Michael Sakamoto
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Dig up the latest dirt in our "On the CreativeGround with..." blog series! This month,
Michael Sakamoto shares his
experience as an interdisciplinary artist active in dance, theater, performance, photography, and media. Currently the Associate Director of Programming and Director of the Asian Arts and Cultures Program at the
Fine Arts Center at UMass Amherst
, Sakamoto also serves as an advisor for NEFA's
National Dance Project
.
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South Windsor, Connecticut
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Manchester,
New Hampshire
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Is your profile feature-worthy?
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Does the media on your CreativeGround profile show your 2020 vision?
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- Having images on your profile is vital to attracting attention. We recommend that you have at least three images in your Image and Video Gallery, in addition to having a top profile image of you or your organization in action.
- Pro tip: do NOT use a headshot or a logo for your top profile image, it is not as enticing as an action shot. Check out the Featured Profiles above for great examples!
- Working in a medium that isn't photo-friendly? You can still share your work. Writers can include a video or photo of you doing a public reading of your work, or an image of your book.
- Pro tip: Use the URL Collection section of the profile to link to publications that have included your work, or even link to articles that review your work- a testimonial to why someone would want to hire you. These will show up under the Additional Links header on your public profile view.
- Accessibility is for everyone. Do you use Alt Text? Alternative text is a few descriptive words that you enter with an image and is used by screen readers, by search engines, and when the image cannot be loaded on a webpage.
- Pro tip: Add alt text to your images to improve accessibility and search engine optimization by clicking on the EDIT button next to the image in the Image and Video Gallery, and adding a simple description of what you see when you look at the image.
- Psst... Remember to click SAVE when you make any of these updates to your profile!
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Image: RI artist and 2019 recipient,
Shannon VanGyzen
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State Arts Agency Grant Deadlines
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National Grant Deadlines:
Resources of Note:
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CONTACT
Morganna Becker (she/her/hers)
Program Associate, CreativeGround
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A project of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), CreativeGround is brought to you through ongoing partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, the Maine Arts Commission, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and the Vermont Arts Council.
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