BOSTON — A delegation of the Western Mass Arts Advocacy Coalition (WMAAC) presented its seminal report, “Regional Perspectives from the 2025 Western Massachusetts Arts Economic Impact Summit” to legislators on March 3 during MASSCreative’s third annual Creative Sector Advocacy Day at the Massachusetts State House.
The report is a comprehensive presentation of the key issues identified and regional priorities and potential solutions raised at the Western Mass Arts Economic Impact Summit held last November at MASS MoCA in North Adams.
Roughly 10 legislators and state leaders received a copy of the report, including Aaron Vega, president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council; state Sen. Jo Comerford; state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa; and state Rep. Sean Garballey, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development.
All thanked the coalition’s founders for the information, and Comerford said, “thank you for educating me on this important work and for your visionary leadership.” She plans to meet with the coalition on April 14, as the next steps are to frame solutions to issues raised.
The November summit was hosted by state Sen. Paul Mark, chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development.
The summit emerged from a growing recognition that the Western Mass. creative economy, while deeply rooted, resilient, and innovative, is facing systemic pressures that require coordinated, cross-sector responses, according to Mark.
After meeting with a dozen arts organization leaders in Haydenville last June, Mark initiated the convening of the regional summit to bring together arts leaders, policymakers, funders, business partners, and civic institutions and move beyond isolated conversations and toward shared understanding and collaborative problem solving.
A subcommittee of the WMAAC developed the topics for discussion and program of events for the five-hour summit. In attendance were 110 individuals from across the state, discussing four key challenges facing arts organizations and artists in Western Mass.: creating affordable housing for artists; implementing alternative energy sources to strengthen arts organizations’ financial stability; finding creative financial approaches to ease funding gaps while waiting for reimbursement grants; and sourcing, training, and retaining arts workers.
Eighty private and public organizations were represented at the summit, including arts organizations, economic development, financial and educational institutions, employment, energy and housing organizations, as well as legislators and state leaders. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll gave the opening remarks, and Senate President Karen Spilka offered closing remarks.
WMAAC was formed in May 2025, when artists and arts organizations came together with a goal to increase the visibility and impact of the Western Mass. creative sector on the state level and lead to a stronger, more resilient creative economy. The coalition is comprised of 50 organizations and artists in Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin counties and is organized around three pillars: advocacy and policy, creative economy and workforce, and resources and infrastructure. Within each pillar, member-led committees drive the work.
The first major project of the WMAAC was the summit and, subsequently, the development of the report, which has received recognition among state legislators and economic development organizations as an important documentation of the needs and potential solutions to sustain and strengthen arts organizations in Western Mass.
Several legislators, including Sabadosa, Garballey, Mark, and Comerford, pledged their continued support of the work, with plans underway to collaborate with the WMAAC on finding concrete, cross-sector solutions.
