Arts and creativity are essential for vibrant, vital, and engaged communities.
Robert Torres via Celebrity Series of Boston
Elevating the arts and enabling creative expression to engage and inspire a dynamic, thriving Massachusetts.
Great art transforms the way we engage with the world. It brings beauty into our lives. Through creativity we can transcend conventions and generate new ideas, alternatives, and possibilities. Arts and creativity have the power to connect us with each other, to help us understand our dynamic environment, and to imagine new, better, different futures.
Against a backdrop of rapidly changing demographics, technological advancements, and evolving art forms, Barr’s Arts & Creativity program seeks to invest in bold ideas and leaders. Our overarching goal is to elevate the arts and enable creative expression to engage and inspire a dynamic, thriving Massachusetts. We will pursue this goal through three strategies: advancing the field’s capacity to adapt, take risks, and engage changing audiences in new ways; fostering opportunities to connect the arts to other disciplines and sectors; and activating public support for the arts.
Arts & Creativity Strategies
To achieve our goal of elevating the arts and enabling creative expression to engage and inspire a dynamic, thriving Massachusetts, we pursue three strategies:
Adapting boldly. Spanning sectors. Activating public support.
Grantmaking
Learn about current investment priorities for Barr's Arts & Creativity program below. To see all recent Arts & Creativity grantmaking activity, visit our grants database.
ArtsAmplified Initiative
Powerful art. Bold leadership. Vibrant communities.
We're partnering with 15 accomplished arts organizations across Massachusetts to amplify their leadership in communities.
Learn more about ArtsAmplified Initiative
Hyde Square Task Force
Powering Cultural Futures Initiative
A six-year partnership with 15 community-rooted organizations to support BIPOC arts and communities, and advance a more equitable Massachusetts arts sector.
Learn more about Powering Cultural Futures Initiative
Creative Commonwealth Initiative
Barr and eight Massachusetts community foundations are advancing diverse, equitable arts and creative expression through a ten-year initiative.
Learn more about Creative Commonwealth InitiativeBarr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative
A $25 million investment over six years in 29 Massachusetts arts organizations to strengthen financial health and capacity to adapt to change.
Learn more about Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative
Change from the Inside Out
What does prioritizing racial equity in an arts organization look like? A new series shares stories and reflections from Barr partners.
Explore partner stories
Culture and Community in a Time of Transformation
Explore new research that highlights the hopes of Massachusetts residents for the future of arts and culture.
Dive into the researchSan San Wong on the Essential Role of the Arts
"The essential nature of arts is to take risks, to experiment, and to really look at what's a contemporary conversation."
Investing in Organizations to Pursue an Artistic Risk
What does artistic risk look like? What kind of support is needed to allow organizational risk taking?
Barr-Klarman Arts Capacity Building Initiative and their arts organization partners explored these questions. A fund was set up as part of the Initiative, with the goal of supporting projects that took organizations out of the comfort zone of their usual practice, potentially against standard field practice, and with the potential to change their organizational way of working. We commissioned a series of videos to document the journey and impact of the seven projects that were funded.
Learn more about Investing in Organizations to Pursue an Artistic RiskHow Barr Partners to Invest in Individual Artists
Meet Our Arts & Creativity Team
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E. San San Wong Director of Arts & Creativity
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SueEllen Kroll Senior Program Officer, Arts & Creativity
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Francisco Torres Program Officer, Arts & Creativity
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Jamilah Bradshaw Program Officer, Arts & Creativity
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Susana Reyes Program Associate, Arts & Creativity
Arts & Creativity Program Grantmaking Process and Inquiries
Grants awarded by the Barr Foundation originate in several ways. The majority are initiated by our staff. Additionally, given the value we place on long-term partnerships, many grants are renewals for current grantees. However, we also welcome those who feel their work aligns with our priorities to introduce themselves to us through an inquiry process.
To submit an inquiry to the Barr Foundation’s Arts & Creativity Program, please assemble your responses and requested materials outlined in our inquiry form below, and submit via email to arts@barrfoundation.org.
Recent Arts & Creativity Blogs
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Blog Post
In New Bedford, An Inside-Out Makeover
Zeiterion Performing Arts Center is renovating its theater, but also revamping its policies on racial equity and community engagement.
Read the blog post
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Blog Post
Arts Leaders Team Up to Address Shared Challenges
With new funds for collaboration, four pairs of grantee partners in Barr’s ArtsAmplified initiative pursue solutions to benefit their communities and the broader arts and nonprofit sectors.
Read the blog post
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Blog Post
Exploring Arts Vibrancy in Massachusetts: Strengths and Opportunities
A new report and map produced by SMU DataArts for the Barr Foundation documents high levels of arts vibrancy across the state of Massachusetts and prompts an important conversation about who is included in arts datasets.
Read the blog post