Western Mass Arts Economic Impact Summit announced for Nov. 14 at MASS MoCA in North Adams
State legislators and agencies, arts organizations, and businesses will meet to problem-solve
Pittsfield, Mass. October 28, 2025 - State Senator Paul Mark, chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, today announced the first Western Mass Arts Economic Impact Summit, to be held on Friday, November 14 at MASS MoCA in North Adams. Representative John Barrett III (1st Berkshire) is co-sponsoring the summit.
The idea for the event emerged from a late-June meeting in which a small group of artists and arts leaders from all four Western Massachusetts counties met with Senator Mark to share sector successes and urgent needs. Senator Mark, who represents 57 communities across Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties, proposed convening the broader arts community alongside business leaders, funders, labor representatives, legislators and state agencies to develop practical solutions and chart a path forward for the region’s creative economy.
Emily Ruddock, Executive Director of MASSCreative, will deliver the keynote at the summit, setting the tone for a day centered on recognizing the arts as an economic driver and collaborating and partnering across multiple sectors to strengthen the arts’ impact. Attendees will include representatives from arts organizations, creative businesses, municipalities, state agencies, legislators, nonprofits, funders, labor, and the private sector; reflecting the deeply interconnected nature of Western Massachusetts’ cultural and economic landscape.
Said Dee Boyle-Clapp, Director of the Arts Extension Service, “The arts sector is vital to healthy, vibrant communities, and makes up 4.3% of the GDP in the United States with 5.2 million reported jobs, and $1.2 Trillion in economic activity. In Western Massachusetts, the arts sector has historically supported 1 in 6 jobs, boosts tourism, and while acknowledged as undercounted, including Berkshire County, is home to 17.4% of the state's arts organizations. This Summit will bring together arts leaders, state and municipal decision-makers, and creatives to discuss how we can work together to help the sector thrive and make our region stronger and more resilient.”
The day will begin with networking, followed by four concurrent discussion sessions designed to tackle pressing challenges in the arts economy. These sessions will address issues such as bridge loan mechanisms to help arts organizations manage reimbursement-based grants, exploring alternative energy generation as a potential revenue source, developing affordable housing for artists and creatives, and strengthening the training and retention of the region’s creative workforce.
Later in the day, participants will have time for informal roundtables and a networking lunch. These discussions will focus on sustaining small arts organizations, creating funding opportunities for international artists and children’s programming, and developing partnerships that strengthen cross-sector collaboration.
The summit is designed to move beyond conversation and toward tangible solutions; bringing together diverse voices to address financial, infrastructural, and workforce challenges while envisioning new strategies for a thriving creative economy in Western Massachusetts.
The event is open to cultural practitioners and administrators. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, November 5.
The summit is being planned in collaboration with MASS MoCA, MASSCreative, and the Western Mass Arts Advocacy Alliance. The summit organizing committee includes Ruth Griggs, president of the Northampton Jazz Festival; Dee Boyle-Clapp, director of the Arts Extension Service at UMass Amherst; Cassandra Holden, executive director of the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity; Carlos Uriona, lead actor and cultural strategist at Double Edge Theatre; and Fungai Tichawangana, platform manager of the ArtsHub of Western MA), and Tiffany Allecia, Executive Director, Springfield Creative City Collective.
For media questions, please contact Senator Mark’s office at @email.
