Our goals for establishing and deepening connections includes:

Inspiring public appreciation for the arts by increasing the visibility of and accessibility to local experiences.

Supporting local artists and organizations by increasing attendance at their events and experiences.

Enabling collaboration within the arts community by providing a place to connect and share resources.

Want to learn more? Visit creativecounty.org.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ECCF and the Creative County Initiative is committed to creating professional development and capacity-building opportunities for cultural leaders and small and volunteer-run arts and culture organizations so they can further their missions and compete in our creative economy. These opportunities include small, hands-on workshops and large-scale conferences like ECCF’s annual Institute for Trustees, which added an arts track in 2023.

For more details on current workshops, visit creativecounty.org.

CHANGEMAKERS

ChangeMakers is an immersive leadership support program that fosters participants’ roles as creative leaders building a more inclusive and sustainable arts and culture ecosystem in Essex County.

Since 2021, ECCF has graduated 34 artists, nonprofit and municipal leaders from this eight-month-long program that includes facilitated and project-based learning, peer networking and leadership trainings. Rooted in a collaborative process of local and regional ecosystem building, ChangeMakers is connecting people with diverse perspectives and different backgrounds to grow a network of creative leaders that understand the importance and power of thinking regionally and strategically about the ecosystem.

The 2024 ChangeMakers cohort will begin the program in March 2024.

For more information about ChangeMakers, contact k.ristuben@eccf.org.

When all parts of the creative system come together, it’s possible to identify root causes of challenges and find innovative solutions. Together, we can address issues like barriers to funding, creative workforce support, affordable artist space and professional leadership development.

ECCF is committed to bringing people together to build a stronger and more resilient regional network. By doing this, we hope to:

Create stronger connections across sectors to enable arts and creativity to thrive.

Inspire co-funders to invest in long-term projects that address critical challenges.

Pilot and scale innovative systems solutions to support a healthy creative sector.

Monthly Creative County Meet Ups

Virtual opportunities for creatives to connect around timely topics. For more information contact k.ristuben@eccf.org or register here.

Essex County Arts and Culture Summit
The Essex County Arts and Culture Summit brings together hundreds of artists, nonprofits and cross-sector creative leaders for networking, educational opportunities and inspiration.

Creative Sector Think Labs
Creative sector Think Labs are meetings designed to bring people together to incubate ideas in emerging areas affecting the creative sector. Dates TBA.

Through its Creative County Initiative, ECCF is committed to supporting cultural planning initiatives that create better conditions for the arts sector to thrive, and investing in knowledge and technical support to engage communities in municipal planning that is inclusive of arts and culture. As a result, we aim to:

• Earn Essex County recognition as a supportive region for creative professionals.
• Strengthen the capacity for collaboration within and between communities.
• Foster inclusion and equity among our diverse communities.
• Broaden the value of tangible and intangible cultural assets related to community development goals.

Want to learn more? Visit our partners at the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.

Learn more about grantmaking opportunities.