About the ArtsHub of Western Mass | Artist & Creatives of Western Massachusetts

An Idea Years in the Making

Launched in 2022 but years in the making, the ArtsHub is an ever-evolving idea designed to highlight and bring together the amazing artists, organizations, and events that are happening within the creative communities of Western Massachusetts. Over the years, the need for this kind of central resource kept surfacing and many organizations have worked toward this goal through networking events, summits, and extensive surveys and input sessions by the Western Mass Creative Economy Network, the Community Foundation of Western Mass (CFWM) Valley Creates initiative, and countless other organizations. A planning grant from CFWM helped begin the planning process for the hub, and a major funds were secured through a grant from the Massachusetts Office of Business Development to start this beginning phase of the project.

You have likely participated in some of the previous surveys and outreach sessions and your continued input will help with the next step in the ArtsHub’s creation. You are invited to participate further in the evolution of this initiative. Together, artists/creatives of all kinds are the engine that drives the creative economy in the region, and there is a lot planned to keep it moving forward.

Phase 1 of the project was designed to create a platform to organize existing arts-related information in the region and pull it into one central place and host a Summit devoted to helping members of the creative community learn and share ideas for how to survive and thrive as the sector works to recover from the impact of COVID. However, the work is just beginning, and that’s where you come in!

The ArtsHub is intended to serve the creative community, and that means everyone. To ensure not only access, but to be welcoming and inclusive, Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be guided by a DEI Consultant and Community Liaisons who are not only BIPOC individuals, but artists and performers and writers themselves.

Phase 2 will involve outreach to make sure that you, and all artists (and writers and musicians and actors and organizers…) in the region are visible on the site, with plenty of outreach and promotion across social and traditional media to encourage creatives and organizations to get listed on CreativeGround as well as use the ArtsHub platform to list opportunities, spaces, events, jobs and other info. Each of us has a connection to our corner of the community that we can share to grow the website into a comprehensive resource for the creative community.