Advocacy Spotlight: How the Medford Arts Council leveraged grassroots power to boost arts funding

On July 30, 2025, more than 750 artists, creatives, cultural organization leaders, and members of the arts community in Boston registered for this year’s Boston Mayoral Forum on Arts & Culture in Dorchester.

On July 15, 2025, the House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability held an oversight hearing by invitation to learn how recent federal funding cuts and the proposed elimination of federal arts agencies is impacting the creative sector in Massachusetts and communities that cultural organizations serve.

Emily Ruddock, MASSCreative’s executive director, shares updates about some of our grassroots organizing and legislative achievements in 2024 and a glimpse of what we are preparing for 2025.