Mayor Wu announces Arts Action Consortium

Special to the Review

Mayor Michelle Wu  announced the Arts Action Consortium (AAC) launch, a new initiative to strengthen and sustain Boston’s creative workforce. In collaboration with six Boston-based cultural organizations, this two-year program will offer crucial resources, including professional development, technical assistance, and career support for Boston’s artists. This initiative reflects the City’s deep commitment to fostering a vibrant arts community and building a more equitable, sustainable future for artists across the city.

“By providing artists with essential resources, opportunities for professional development, and continuous support, we are not only investing in their success but also ensuring Boston remains a cultural hub,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The vibrant arts community contributes to what makes our city truly unique. I am proud to support artists of all mediums and ensure they have the resources needed to succeed.”

AAC is comprised of six distinguished Boston-based partner organizations: Ágora Cultural Architects, Arts and Business Council, Assets for Artists, Bloom Arts Strategy, Dunamis, and Midday Movement Series. Each of these organizations brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the collective, forming a robust network of support for Boston’s creative community. Supported by a $700,000 investment through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) from the City, this initiative reflects the Mayor’s commitment to building long-term sustainability for the creative workforce and addressing the structural barriers they face.

“Artists and creative workers are still navigating the long-term impacts of COVID, compounded by economic instability and the rising cost of living,” said Samantha Rose Hale, Director of Grants and Programs at the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. “In a time of political uncertainty, it’s essential to invest in the people whose creative labor helps us imagine and build more just systems. The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture believes artists and cultural workers play a vital role in shaping a healthy, vibrant, and just society—this initiative provides sustained, culturally responsive support that reflects that belief.”

The Artist Pathways Project is the inaugural program of AAC and is designed to utilize each of the partner organizations’ services to equip Boston artists with the skills, resources, and support needed to build a sustainable career in the arts. This project offers free resources to Boston artists, including 1,000 hours of one-on-one consultations for artistic development, grant writing, business development, legal support, and financial literacy; 100+ workshops and three cohort opportunities covering essential career-building topics; access to rehearsal, performance, and convening space; and community building social events.

The project will provide artists with wrap-around services and sustained support over the two years that equip them with the business and artistic skills, networks, and confidence that they need to build a thriving professional artistic career in Boston. Beyond the direct support to artists, the Artist Pathways Project seeks to demonstrate how a collaborative model can provide a more effective and efficient approach to addressing a community’s needs by leveraging each partner’s strengths to more comprehensively support a community member. The insights gained from this project will help the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) understand the changing needs of Boston’s creative community, guiding future funding and policy decisions to better support local artists.

“The coalition’s ability to provide a unified, multifaceted, and responsive service to artists over the next two years will have an extraordinary effect on the viability and sustainability of these artists’ careers,” said J. Cottle, Executive Director of Dunamis Boston. “This ecosystem we’re building reflects a reality that lasting change and deep impact only work when we engage deeply and without ego; when we affirm abundance and execute from an understanding that our diversity of thought and expertise is our greatest value.”

AAC will host a kickoff party on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at CROMA, Public Alley 438, in Downtown Boston. This free event is open to the public and welcomes artists of all mediums and art enthusiasts alike to celebrate the launch of this exciting collaboration serving Boston artists. Find the RSVP link here.

Boston’s arts sector thrives when artists are empowered with the tools, funding, and networks needed to succeed. Through their collective efforts, AAC partners are dedicated to bridging gaps in access and opportunity, ensuring that Boston remains a hub for artistic innovation and cultural vibrancy.

Ágora Cultural Architects

Ágora’s mission is to amplify the visibility and foster the development of Latin American (LATAM) arts and culture. We are committed to celebrating these communities’ rich pluriverse and heritage, including those of the different LATAM diasporas. We believe in the power of arts as a tool for social change, and we strive to provide a platform for our voices to be heard, stories to be told, and identities to be honored.

Arts and Business Council

The Arts and Business Council empowers artists and organizations by providing the tools and services they need to grow their practices, gain influence, seek justice, and thrive. Art is an integral part of diverse communities, a healthy economy, and a rich educational environment. For communities to thrive, the artists and arts organizations within them must be sustainable, viable, safe, and supported. We believe deeply in the value of a thriving creative sector and the importance of investing in the creative workforce that powers it. From legal services and human resources support to real estate programs and creative place keeping, our initiatives are aimed at maintaining and bolstering the vibrancy and diversity of the region.

Assets for Artists

Assets for Artists is an artist-led and artist-centered organization that marshals resources and strategies for creatives to pursue self-determined careers while navigating an economic system that’s stacked against us. We advance this mission by advocating for artists’ needs, redistributing resources directly to artists, and creating opportunities for artists to be in the community, engage in peer learning, and obtain tools for navigating the challenges of our current economic system while simultaneously shaping a more equitable one.

Bloom Arts Strategy

Bloom Arts Strategy provides fundraising, event planning, strategy, and project management support to arts organizations and artists, striving to empower institutions and individuals to build the resources, community, and skills needed to achieve their creative and strategic goals.

Dunamis

Dunamis ignites agency and transformative growth for emerging artists and arts managers of color by serving as a nexus for professional development, community-building, consultation, production, advocacy, and developing equitable pipelines for access and leadership in creative spaces. They give folks the support they need to grow into greater and more complete versions of themselves.

Midday Movement Series

Midday Movement Series is a BIPOC-led grassroots initiative cultivating a new generation of dance leaders, collectively transforming the dance sector by increasing visibility, equity, sustainability, and creative vibrancy. Using principles of eco-conservation, MIDDAY nurtures teacher-choreographers by using a “keystone species” approach, designing innovations that prioritize collective action, leverage untapped resources, and champion underserved, marginalized artists.