Summer is Calling

Dig into New England's Free Directory

of Creative Enterprises and Artists

June 2021

The Call(s) of Summer

On a dark stage, one dancer stretches dramatically upward while another lies crumpled on the floor. The words "cowboys, good girls" are projected as blue neon

Hannah Wasielewski (Portland, ME)

This summer, the CreativeGround team is hunkering down to test and prepare the upgraded CreativeGround website for launch. We're here if you need any tech help, but our next e-news will be in coordination with the site launch in a few months. Read on to meet our newest team member, and for Final Calls to dig in before the launch, tips to make your profile robust, and some jazzy opportunities.

Update your Profile Now

Who Answered the Call...

for Program Administrator, Creative Economy,

New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)

Natalya Tausonavitch (she/her) has joined the CreativeGround team in this new role, and will be lending her data and program operations expertise to drive tech and data cleaning projects for the team. Fun fact: Natalya studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark!

Dee and Morganna are excited and grateful to have her hit the 'Ground running.

Meet Natalya

Natalya smiles at the camera. She is a cisgender, white woman with brown hair wearing a collared shirt

Final Call

We are entering the Beta Testing phase for the updated CreativeGround site this July! Peek at some juicy graphics from the new site in our Spring Newsletter. As we prepare to launch the upgraded site, this is the last call for testers, and to those who want to be featured, write blogs, or do a social media takeover in the near future.

Get Involved

Submit your interest in being a Beta Tester for the new site.

Fill out this form to:

- Nominate a profile to be featured on the website

- Indicate your interest in blogging about the sector

- Indicate your interest in being a Community Cultivator

Tell Your Story

CreativeGround Instagram is coming soon. Use this form to let us know if you are interested in hosting an Instagram takeover.

We're gathering self/community care tips to share back with the creative community. Share your care tips via this webform, or get started by reviewing Self Care Showers and Artist Flowers.

Tech Tip/Helpful Hint: Call Attention to Yourself

Jin Hi Kim's profile rocks (just like her when she plays

the world's only electronic komungo).

The CreativeGround team is delighted to give folks new ways to sort search results on the upgraded site. We strongly encourage you to update your profile to be as robust as possible for higher visibility in those Search results.

Psst! Having the following will expedite your journey to be featured through CreativeGround:

A profile image that shows you in action (not a headshot, not a logo)
A pithy description of what you do that uses keywords people searching are likely to use
At least 3 images or videos in your media gallery
At least 3 recent connections in your I Have Worked With section (with description)

Check out the current featured profiles on the CreativeGround homepage and About page for great examples and inspiration.

Not sure if you or your organization has a CreativeGround profile?

Follow these step-by-step instructions for updating or creating a profile.

Calling Jazz Artists and Jazz Supporters

Yosvany, a cisgender black man, smiles in front of a bridge surrounded by trees. It is sunset and Yosvany joyfully taps out a musical rhythm with his arms

Jazz artist Yosvany Terry (Cambridge, MA)

Jazz artists in CreativeGround may be eligible to apply for South Arts’ new Jazz Road Creative Residencies grant program. Grants of up to $40,000 support creative development for new work and can also support engagement with communities in their artistic process. Artists looking for artistic collaborators and/or partner organizations are able to search the CreativeGround directory. Apply by July 12, 2021.

The Jazz Road Tours grant continues to have a rolling deadline to support artists to build their own multi-state tours with awards up to $15,000.

Who You Gonna Call? Daniela!

Daniela Jacobson (she/her) helps provide technical assistance to New England artist applicants. Jazz Road is led by South Arts in partnership with the five other U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, including NEFA.

New Work New England: Creatives You Call Neighbors

Shakia, a black woman, smiles while teaching a dance class in a large open gymnasium

Shakia Barron (Springfield, MA)

Tyler, a cis white man, plays guitar on a small stage next to a woman at a microphone. The stage curtains are deep red

Tyler Dobrowsky (Providence, RI)

A nighttime view of a kinetic metal structure by Evie Lovett is assembled of many long sticks and poles in front of a sign that reads "museum shop"

Evie Lovett (Putney, VT)

NEFA's New Work New England provides grants of $7,500-$15,000 directly to New England artists to support creating and producing new work that has the potential to engage multiple New England communities. Pssst! Check out the grantees' robust CreativeGround profiles.

Read about the inaugural grantees for New Work New England

Shining a Light on Additional Resources

Gemma sits on a large cardboard moon while wearing a pillow hat that makes her entire head look like a pillow

Five or so Black Brook Singers are gathered in song around a central drum playing Native American music of the Aquinnah nation.

Gemma Soldati (Somersworth, NH)

Black Brook Singers (Aquinnah, MA)

NEFA's monthly opportunities blog lists upcoming regional and national deadlines for grants, professional development, gigs, and more.

Applying to New England States Touring (NEST)? Make sure you know the latest changes to the NEST program.

Regional Opportunities

Your State Arts Agency

NASAA (National Association of State Arts Agencies) research on Arts and Economic Recovery

National

National Endowment for the Arts

The Art of Reopening: A Guide to Current Practices Among Arts Organizations During COVID-19
The NEA released a new report on the economic impact of the arts and culture sector.
7.8.2021 | Grants for Arts Projects due

Additional National Highlights

Culture + Community in a Time of Crisis: Culture Track's national research on the culture sector during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report on Audience Outlook Monitor-a study tracking how audiences feel about attending arts and culture events in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
University of Florida's collection of Arts and Health data and recommendations

CONTACT

Morganna Becker (she/her/hers)

Community Engagement Coordinator, Creative Economy

CreativeGround@nefa.org | 617-951-0010 x535

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, with additional funding from the Barr Foundation.

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